Some dogs can learn words for hundreds of objects just by listening in to human conversations. Plus, the High Seas Treaty has officially entered into force and PhD students inherit their appetite for risk from their supervisors.
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The text of the High Seas Treaty was finalised in 2023, and ratification by 60 countries — a milestone that meant it would be brought it into force — was achieved in September. (Rodrigo Friscione/Getty)
On Saturday, the High Seas Treaty (officially known as the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction or BBNJ Agreement) came into force. “It’s one of the most important environmental agreements ever,” says marine-policy expert Matt Frost. The treaty brings in a mechanism to safeguard the two-thirds of the ocean that lies beyond any national jurisdiction, such as through the creation of marine protected areas. “This moment shows that cooperation at a global scale is possible,” says marine biologist Sylvia Earle. “Now we must act on it.”
New Scientist | 6 min read (paywall) or Euronews | 6 min read
Under the leadership of anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr, US health officials have reduced the slate of immunizations recommended for children. Japan offers an example of what this might mean for the country’s health. Japan saw flu and pneumonia deaths spike after the government stopped recommending that children be vaccinated against influenza in 1994. And gaps in rubella coverage helped to spark an epidemic in 2012. It’s “very shocking” that the United States is following that type of path, says infectious-disease epidemiologist Hiroshi Nishiura.
Nature | 5 min read
A PhD student’s appetite to undertake potentially risky projects tends to mirror that of their supervisor, even after they’ve moved laboratory. Researchers asked more than 1,200 PhD students to report how likely they were to take part in a safe project - defined as one that would guarantee publication in a mid-tier journal - compared with a risky one, and examined the publication record of the students and their supervisors. The team found that students’ risk-taking dispositions matched that of their supervisors, a link that was stronger when students and their supervisors communicated frequently, and weaker when students were also mentored by scientists outside their lab.
Nature | 4 min read
Reference: Research Policy paper
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