Wild horse populations plummet as Kosciuszko biodiversity recovers
Biodiversity in Kosciuszko National Park is healing as feral horse populations drop, according to the New South Wales Environment Minister.
Supporters of the brumby are concerned population totals are so low they're threatening guaranteed minimum population levels.
But ecologists say it's giving native species populations a better shot at survival.
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ABC News
7 hours ago
- ABC News
The winter solstice in Australia is today. Here's how the shorter days of winter can affect your sleep patterns
Australia will have its "shortest day of the year" today as the southern hemisphere experiences the winter solstice. Where you are in Australia will determine just how much daylight you will get. The shortest day of the year can also impact your sleep. Here's what that means. Saturday, June 21. According to the exact moment the southern hemisphere is at its furthest tilt from the Sun will be at 12:42pm AEST. While the winter solstice is referred to as the shortest day and longest night of the year, it actually just means it is the day with the least amount of daylight hours. That's because it's when the southern hemisphere is at its furthest tilt away from the Sun, meaning we get less sunlight. At the same time, the northern hemisphere will be experiencing the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year. This happens because the Earth tilts at about 23 degrees, meaning that when one side is closest to the Sun, the other side is furthest away. As the Earth does a lap around the Sun each year, different parts of the planet get more sunlight than others. After Saturday, each day's total sunlight hours will get a fraction longer than the previous day until we reach the summer solstice on December 22. According to the astronomical definition of the seasons, the winter solstice in some places marks the beginning of winter. But in Australia, where only meteorological seasons are observed, this is not the case. That's why the beginning of winter is June 1 here. In some cultures, the winter solstice is celebrated as a time of rebirth because the days get longer. Because it is getting dark so early and the days are shorter, some people may experience changes in their sleep schedule and quality. Elise McGlashan, from the University of Melbourne's John Trinder Sleep Laboratory, says shorter days and longer nights mean less sunlight, which can change circadian rhythms. The circadian rhythm is the internal body clock that regulates sleep. "Those changes in sleep can also be accompanied by changes in timings and function of our internal clock and the function of our clock is mainly driven by environmental light exposure," she says. "In summer, we know the sun might be up until it's close to someone's bedtime, and part of the reason people are sleeping a little longer is they aren't getting those light cues when they're trying to wind down. "But during winter, there is less light and more time to wind down." When there is less light exposure, the body produces more melatonin — a hormone that makes people feel sleepy — and less serotonin, which can lower mood and energy, leading to feeling tired or sluggish. As the sun comes up later, it may be tempting to sleep longer but oversleeping can also impact health. Dr McGlashan recommends getting outside for some sunlight during the day and letting sunlight into your bedroom in the mornings if possible. "Our rhythms need bright days and dark nights," she says. "It can be hard to motivate ourselves to go outside in winter, particularly in a really chilly location, but even on those overcast days, the light outside is going to be brighter than indoor lighting. "It's still really helpful for your body clock and sleep to get outdoor lighting every day."
ABC News
18 hours ago
- ABC News
BTN Newsbreak 20/06/2025
AGE VERIFICATION SOFTWARE With the social media ban for Aussie teens kicking off in December, some people are worried about whether the age-checking tech for it isn't up to scratch. These students are just some of the thousands of teens across Australia who have been testing out facial scanning tech in the lead up to the social media ban which is all about protecting kids from accessing harmful content online. But so far the results been not that accurate. See from this December, more than 20 million Aussies will need to prove that they're over 16 years old if they want to log on to some of the big social media platforms. Which is why the government has been trialling out some age verification technology. See in recent trials, the tech could only guess people's ages within an 18 month range 85% of the time. While some experts say trialling this tech is a step in the right direction. Others say it's a sign that a flat out ban isn't great. But for now, there's still a bit of work that needs to be done. SPACEX EXPLOSION Things haven't exactly gone to plan in SpaceX's latest test launch. The spacecraft was preparing for its 10th test flight when it ran into a major anomaly, bit of an understatement. Don't worry, no one was inside the rocket, but eventually Space X's plan IS to have people in rockets like this one and send them to Mars by 2028. But they might have a few issues to overcome first. ANIMAL COMMUNICATION Have you ever wanted to talk to animals? Well a new competition is offering scientists 10 million dollars if they can do, well, just that. COW CUDDLES First up, to a farm in England that is offering visitors the chance to cuddle with a cow. This used to be a dairy farm, but due to crop shortages and the high cost of milk production, they decided to pivot to something a little different. It took more than a year to train the cows, getting them used to being cuddled, but now, they seem to really enjoy it. HIKING ROBOT Now to Mount Tai in China, which has welcomed its very first robotic hiking guide. This is its first time being tested out in the real world, after 2 months of development, and it seems to be handling everything pretty well so far. OLDEST MARRIED COUPLE And finally, to Newcastle where Delma, who's 100, and Frank, who's 101 are celebrating 80 years of wedded bliss, making them the oldest married couple in all of Australia!
The Australian
20 hours ago
- The Australian
Neurizon's NUZ-001 shows promise in Huntington's disease
Neurizon's NUZ-001 and active metabolite NUZ-001 Sulfone show strong neuroprotective effects in a zebrafish Huntington's model Results show potential of drug to counteract early neurodegenerative damage caused by disease Neurizon plans to initiate additional validation studies in mammalian models of Huntington's Special Report: Clinical-stage biotech Neurizon Therapeutics has reached a milestone in development of its lead drug candidate NUZ-001 to treat Huntington's disease. Neurizon Therapeutics (ASX:NUZ), which is dedicated to advancing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, has rolled out new preclinical data demonstrating significant neuroprotective effects of NUZ-001 and its active metabolite NUZ-001 Sulfone, in a zebrafish model of Huntington's disease. Huntington's disease is a rare, inherited neurodegenerative disorder that causes progressive degeneration of motor function, cognition and mental health. The disease affects between 2.7 and 4.8 per 100,000 people globally with no cure and no disease-modifying treatment. The treatments available only manage symptoms. In the Huntington's disease model, targeted mRNA knockdown of the Htt (huntingtin) protein triggered hallmark disease characteristics, including: Increased cell death Morphological malformations (smaller eyes and swollen hindbrains) Impaired haemoglobin production and Reduced expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a critical biomarker of neuronal function and survival. mRNA knockdown is a lab technique that reduces the activity of a specific gene, in this case the HTT gene, which produces the protein involved in Huntington's disease. Treatment with either NUZ-001 or NUZ-001 Sulfone after Htt knockdown: Prevented developmental and morphological abnormalities Attenuated neuronal cell death Restored the delayed production of haemoglobin; and Rescued BDNF expression. Neurizon said the results provided evidence of NUZ-001 and NUZ-001 Sulfone's potential to counteract early neurodegenerative damage. Study details For the preclinical study, wild-type zebrafish embryos were raised in standard conditions. Morpholino antisense oligonucleotides (MOs) targeting Htt mRNA were then injected into one-cell stage embryos to decrease Htt expression. NUZ-001 or NUZ-001 Sulfone at 1 and 10 μM concentrations were added to the embryonic media six hours post-fertilisation to evaluate the protective effects on Htt knockdown-induced deficits. At two days post-fertilisation changes in morphology (eye size and hindbrain swelling), neuronal cell death (apoptosis), haemoglobin levels, and the BDNF expression levels were analysed. Source: Neurizon Therapeutics Knockdown of Htt (Htt MO) resulted in smaller eyes and swollen hindbrain ventricles in zebrafish embryos. Neurizon said partial rescue of eye size and full reversal of hindbrain swelling were observed with 10 μM NUZ-001 and NUZ-001 Sulfone (Figure 2b). Source: Neurizon Therapeutics Other key findings of the study include: Neuronal cell death was significantly higher in the Htt knockdown group, while treatment with 1 μM and 10 μM NUZ-001, and 10 μM NUZ-001 Sulfone, significantly reduced apoptosis Haemoglobin levels were significantly decreased in the Htt knockdown group but partially restored by both concentrations of NUZ-001 and NUZ-001 Sulfone; and Expression of BDNF transcripts was significantly rescued with 10 μM NUZ-001 and 10 μM NUZ-001 Sulfone. Watch: Last patient completes treatment in OLE study NUZ-001 showing promise NUZ-001 is currently in clinical development for the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND) called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), where it has shown: Preclinical efficacy in enhancing proteostasis Reducing pathological protein aggregation; and Preserving neuronal function. The company said new findings in the Huntington model further underscore NUZ-001's potential as a platform therapy targeting core cellular stress and clearance mechanisms common to multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Neurizon plans to advance additional preclinical studies in mammalian models of Huntington's disease as part of its broader strategy to expand NUZ-001's therapeutic applications to other progressive neurological disorders with high unmet need. 'These results mark another important milestone in the realisation of the potential for NUZ-001 to treat a range of neurodegenerative diseases,' CEO and managing director Dr Michael Thurn said. 'Huntington's disease is a devastating, rare genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, leading to a range of symptoms including uncontrolled movements, cognitive decline, and emotional disturbances. 'These exciting results demonstrate NUZ-001 has consistent neuroprotective effects beyond amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), strengthening our conviction in NUZ-001's potential as a disease-modifying platform therapy across a range of neurodegenerative conditions.' This article was developed in collaboration with Neurizon Therapeutics, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing. This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.
