Temperature

Menstrual health literacy is alarmingly low – what you don’t know can harm you

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

When I ask my menstrual health workshop participants – including clinicians – there’s usually a lot of shrugging and shaking of heads.

Key Points: 
  • When I ask my menstrual health workshop participants – including clinicians – there’s usually a lot of shrugging and shaking of heads.
  • If given multiple choice options, most think that periods either “clean the womb” or somehow “help prepare for pregnancy”.
  • Yes, the blood part can stain clothing, but there is nothing pathological, contaminating, or dangerous about periods.

So, why do we have periods?

  • Periods likely evolved as a kind of preemptive abortion, to protect women from unviable or dangerous pregnancies.
  • As a result, we have low rates of conception, high rates of miscarriage, and extremely high rates of maternal mortality in comparison to other mammals.
  • The menstrual cycle is critical for facilitation of the initial steps of this raison d’être of the female reproductive system.
  • The menstrual cycle is critical for facilitation of the initial steps of this raison d’être of the female reproductive system.

What else don’t we know?

  • Perhaps with the fact that the second phase of the cycle from ovulation to menstruation is a series of highly inflammatory processes.
  • This was only very briefly mentioned in three out of 16 textbooks.
  • We really ought to be taught from puberty how to reduce period pain and blood loss – this is not difficult science.

Why aren’t we taught this stuff?

  • My research shows that the exclusive focus on the female sex hormones in menstrual education is informed by societal influences, such as the myth of the hysterical or hormonal female.
  • This gender myth is still alive and well, although now we tend to blame the (female sex) hormones.
  • Again, there was no scientific reason for this change in focus, although it reflected existing societal beliefs about the inherently irrational behaviour of women.
  • Unfortunately, menstrual health literacy has not yet recovered from this shift in physiological models.

So what?

  • It also becomes much easier to differentiate premenstrual changes from underlying health conditions, since the latter will not be substantially alleviated by anti-inflammatory interventions alone.
  • Teaching the reductive hormonal model of the menstrual cycle unintentionally provides pseudo-scientific evidence for the damaging hormonal or hysterical female gender myth.


Sally King is the founder of Menstrual Matters- the world's first evidence-based info hub on menstrual health and rights www.menstrual-matters.com. Her doctoral research and current research fellowship were funded by the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council).

What the Anthropocene’s critics overlook – and why it really should be a new geological epoch

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The entire process was controversial and the two us who are on the subcommission (chair Jan Zalasiewicz and vice-chair Martin Head) even refused to cast a vote as we did not want to legitimise it.

Key Points: 
  • The entire process was controversial and the two us who are on the subcommission (chair Jan Zalasiewicz and vice-chair Martin Head) even refused to cast a vote as we did not want to legitimise it.
  • In any case, the proposal ran into opposition from longstanding members.
  • Many geologists, used to working with millions of years, find it hard to accept an epoch just seven decades long – that’s just one human lifetime.
  • He and his colleagues were perfectly aware that humans had been doing that for millennia.


It makes no sense, Crutzen said, to use the Holocene for present time. He conceived the Anthropocene as the time when human impacts intensified, suddenly, dramatically, enough to push the Earth into a new state. The science journalist Andrew Revkin (who thought up the name “Anthrocene” even before Crutzen’s inspiration) aptly called it the “big zoom”.

Flesh on bones

  • We’re part of the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) that has been gathering evidence to put geological flesh on the bones of Crutzen’s concept.
  • The AWG had a mandate: to assess the Anthropocene as a potential geological time unit during which “human modification of natural systems has become predominant”.
  • It’s a nicely laid out, easy-to-understand picture that summarises the changes caused by human activity over the last million years.
  • But what is lost here is any sense of the quantified rate and magnitude of change, other than by a little shading.
  • The Y-axis is what scientists use to show the magnitude of measurements such as temperature and mass.
  • They show that Crutzen’s Anthropocene is real, evidence based, and represents an epoch-scale change (at least).
  • The repercussions cannot fail to last for many thousands of years – and some will change the Earth for ever.

Epoch vs event

  • So the Anthropocene as an epoch is very different from the “event” of Erle Ellis and others, which encapsulates all human influence on the planet (and so is about a thousand times longer than the epoch, and differs in many other ways).
  • ), it could perfectly well complement an Anthropocene epoch.
  • That’s the Anthropocene as an epoch.


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  • Colin Waters is Chair of the Anthropocene Working Group.
  • Martin Head is part of the Anthropocene Working Group and the Quaternary Subcommission.

New evidence for an unexpected player in Earth’s multimillion-year climate cycles: the planet Mars

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Our existence is governed by natural cycles, from the daily rhythms of sleeping and eating, to longer patterns such as the turn of the seasons and the quadrennial round of leap years.

Key Points: 
  • Our existence is governed by natural cycles, from the daily rhythms of sleeping and eating, to longer patterns such as the turn of the seasons and the quadrennial round of leap years.
  • Our research is published in Nature Communications.

Milankovitch cycles and ice ages

  • Most of the natural cycles we know are determined one way or another by Earth’s movement around the Sun.
  • And over time, the gravitational jostling of the planets changes the shape of these orbits in a predictable pattern.
  • These alterations affect our long-term climate, influencing the coming and going of ice ages.

Earth and Mars


There are also slower rhythms, called astronomical “grand cycles”, which cause fluctuations over millions of years. One such cycle, related to the slow rotation of the orbits of Earth and Mars, recurs every 2.4 million years.
The cycle is predicted by astronomical models, but is rarely detected in geological records. The easiest way to find it would be in sediment samples that continuously cover a period of many millions of years, but these are rare. Much like the shorter Milankovitch cycles, this grand cycle affects the amount of sunlight Earth receives and has an impact on climate.

Gaps in the record

  • When we went hunting for signs of these multimillion-year climate cycles in the rock record, we used a “big data” approach.
  • Scientific ocean drilling data collected since the 1960s have generated a treasure trove of information on deep-sea sediments through time across the global ocean.
  • Instead, we concentrated on the parts of the sedimentary record that are missing — breaks in sedimentation called hiatuses.
  • Analysing the timing of hiatus periods across the global ocean, we identified hiatus cycles over the past 65 million years.

Warming and deep currents

  • Some of these suggest that ocean mixing has become more intense over the last decades of global warming.
  • Deep-ocean eddies are predicted to intensify in a warming, more energetic climate system, particularly at high latitudes, as major storms become more frequent.

Can Mars keep the oceans alive?

  • Our deep-sea data spanning 65 million years suggest that warmer oceans have more vigorous eddy-driven circulation.
  • This process may play an important role in a warmer future.
  • Our results and analyses of deep ocean mixing suggest that more intense deep-ocean eddies may counteract such ocean stagnation.


Adriana Dutkiewicz receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Dietmar Müller and Slah Boulila do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Notice of AGM

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

This notice, which includes the agenda of the Annual General Meeting, the resolution proposals, and the organisational document of the Annual General Meeting, are available on the Company's website at www.nordea.com/agm .

Key Points: 
  • This notice, which includes the agenda of the Annual General Meeting, the resolution proposals, and the organisational document of the Annual General Meeting, are available on the Company's website at www.nordea.com/agm .
  • Before the meeting, questions can be submitted by email to [email protected] or by regular mail to Nordea AGM / Group Legal SATA V5A, Satamaradankatu 5, FI-00020 Nordea, Finland.
  • On the day of this notice to the Annual General Meeting, 21 February 2024, the total number of shares in the Company is 3,521,499,960, which equals 3,521,499,960 votes.
  • This notice is published in English, Swedish and Finnish.

Fahrengold Driving Growth: Auto Veteran Joins Board as New Products Unveiled

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 12, 2024

"Fahrengold has quickly won over luxury auto customers and, subsequently, manufacturers.

Key Points: 
  • "Fahrengold has quickly won over luxury auto customers and, subsequently, manufacturers.
  • Esther joins TJ Grewal, former CPO & EVP of Global Operations for Beats by Dre, who currently serves on the company's advisory board.
  • "As a young company, it is a huge honor to have such accomplished and respected advisors like Esther & TJ on board.
  • We believe it reflects and highlights the strong positioning, traction and reputation we have established," noted Fahrengold Founder Nikita Fahrenholz.

MHI Thermal Systems to Launch 31 Models of Residential-use Air-Conditioners for the Japanese Market in 2024

Retrieved on: 
Monday, March 11, 2024

- Two types of sensors, and functions using ions and ozone provide comfort and cleanliness (S Series / SK Series)

Key Points: 
  • - Two types of sensors, and functions using ions and ozone provide comfort and cleanliness (S Series / SK Series)
    TOKYO, Mar 11, 2024 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd., a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, will launch 31 new models of residential-use air-conditioners for the Japanese market for 2024.
  • The new models in five series will be released starting April 1.
  • Together these new models provide comfortable living spaces for diverse lifestyles.
  • In addition, the AI learns how the room cools and warms, and adjusts automatically for comfortable and energy-saving operation.

TANAKA Establishes Bonding Technology for High-Density Semiconductor Mounting Using AuRoFUSE(TM) Preforms

Retrieved on: 
Monday, March 11, 2024

In the development of technologies for high-density mounting, electroless plating[4] is becoming mainstream for producing copper and gold plating bumps.

Key Points: 
  • In the development of technologies for high-density mounting, electroless plating[4] is becoming mainstream for producing copper and gold plating bumps.
  • This method can achieve a fine pitch, but because comparatively higher pressures are required during bonding, there are concerns about possible chip damage.
  • As precious metals professionals, TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo has been conducting research and development into the use of AuRoFUSE(TM), which enables low-temperature, low-pressure bonding with followability of uneven surfaces due to its porousness, to achieve high-density mounting of semiconductors.
  • Using this new technology, the paste is dried prior to bonding to eliminate fluidity, which minimizes spread and enables high-density mounting (Figure 1).

BLUETTI to Showcase Innovative Energy Solutions at Smart Energy Expo 2024 in Australia

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 5, 2024

SYDNEY, AU, Mar 5, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power solutions, will be participating in the Smart Energy Expo 2024 at ICC Sydney from March 6-7.

Key Points: 
  • SYDNEY, AU, Mar 5, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power solutions, will be participating in the Smart Energy Expo 2024 at ICC Sydney from March 6-7.
  • At booth #33, BLUETTI will present its revolutionary energy solutions that are shaping the smart energy landscape.
  • The AC180T power station delivers 1,800W power for essential devices from coffee makers to portable air conditioners.
  • Visit BLUETTI at booth #33 to experience firsthand the future of portable power solutions.

BLUETTI Launches SwapSolar on Indiegogo, Elevating Your Outdoor Experience

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 22, 2024

The SwapSolar is not just a product; it's an answer to your outdoor power needs, ice-making desires, and long-distance travel cooling cravings - all in one.

Key Points: 
  • The SwapSolar is not just a product; it's an answer to your outdoor power needs, ice-making desires, and long-distance travel cooling cravings - all in one.
  • The AC180T ensures your independent outdoor power supply off the grid, while the MultiCooler's 3-in-1 design provides excellent coolness and efficiency.
  • As BLUETTI's spokesperson, James Ray, aptly puts it, "We want users to savor the joy of outdoor life.
  • Power up and keep your food fresh at once, it's time to go wild with BLUETTI!"

Hyris Technology Supports the Fight Against One of the World's Deadliest Diseases, Malaria

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Hyris' molecular diagnostic technology has been adapted to enable real-time surveillance of mosquito vector insecticide resistance, which will aid in malaria control campaigns.

Key Points: 
  • Hyris' molecular diagnostic technology has been adapted to enable real-time surveillance of mosquito vector insecticide resistance, which will aid in malaria control campaigns.
  • The early and cost-effective detection of mosquito resistance to insecticides is essential for planning and implementing effective malaria control strategies.
  • Mosquito-killing insecticides remain key weapons in preventing malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa and other malaria-endemic parts of the world.
  • This new malaria mosquito insecticide resistance test does not require any cold chain for shipping, making it one hundred percent field-deployable."