Daily briefing: Women’s academic careers are knocked by parenthood much more than men’s

Childcare responsibilities disproportionately affect women’s academic careers. Plus, epic freshwater fish migrations are running into roadblocks and whether NASA’s Artemis II Moon mission is the dawn of a new space age.

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Siberian/Mongolian taimen (Hucho taimen), the world's largest salmonid, can grow to over two metres long and are among the migratory species threatened by overfishing and habitat destruction. (Zeb Hogan)

Some of the planet’s greatest migrations happen in rivers, where fish such as salmon and sturgeon move nutrients, underpin food webs and support fisheries and livelihoods. But populations of migratory freshwater fishes have dropped by more than 80% since 1970. For the largest species, the story is even worse: numbers have dropped by 94%. Dams, overfishing and habitat destruction are to blame, says a new United Nations-led report. It calls for 325 border-crossing species to be added to the 24 already listed for international protection.

The Guardian | 8 min read

Reference: Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals report

Eye drops that contain drug-carrying molecules derived from pig semen can stop the growth of a retinal cancer in mice without affecting the animals’ vision. The drops contain tiny particles called exosomes that can penetrate the barrier around the retina so drugs can kill tumour cells without causing damage to the surrounding tissue. Researchers hope that the drops could be developed into a kinder treatment for children with retinoblastoma, which is currently treated with injections into the eye, chemotherapy or laser therapy.

Nature | 4 min read

Reference: Science Advances paper

Becoming a parent is much more detrimental to women’s academic careers than it is to men’s, lowering their chances of getting university jobs and tenure, and reducing their publication output. The reason, according to a large analysis of academics in Denmark, is that women have almost five times the amount of childcare responsibilities that men have. This is despite Denmark having paid parental leave, subsidized childcare and a widespread belief in equally shared household work. “Behaviours change much more slowly than attitudes,” notes economist Sofie Cairo.

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