Latest news with #Hoek
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
We've Been Misreading a Major Law of Physics For Nearly 300 Years
When Isaac Newton wrote down his now-famed laws of motion in 1687, he could have only hoped we'd be discussing them all these centuries later. Writing in Latin, Newton outlined three universal principles describing how the motion of objects is governed in our Universe, which have since been translated, transcribed, discussed and debated at length. But according to a philosopher of language and mathematics, we might have been interpreting Newton's precise wording of his first law of motion slightly wrong all along. Watch the video below to see a summary of Hoek's perspective; Virginia Tech philosopher Daniel Hoek wanted to "set the record straight" after discovering what he describes as a "clumsy mistranslation" in the original 1729 English translation of Newton's Latin Principia. Based on this translation, countless academics and teachers have since interpreted Newton's first law of inertia to mean an object will continue moving in a straight line or remain at rest unless an outside force intervenes. It's a description that works well until you appreciate external forces are constantly at work, something Newton would have surely considered in his wording. Revisiting the archives, Hoek realized this common paraphrasing featured a misinterpretation that flew under the radar until 1999, when two scholars picked up on the translation of one Latin word that had been overlooked: quatenus, which means "insofar", not unless. To Hoek, this makes all the difference. Rather than describing how an object maintains its momentum if no forces are impressed on it, Hoek says the new reading shows Newton meant that every change in a body's momentum – every jolt, dip, swerve, and spurt – is due to external forces. "By putting that one forgotten word [insofar] back in place, [those scholars] restored one of the fundamental principles of physics to its original splendor," Hoek explained in a blog post describing his findings, published academically in a 2022 research paper. However, that all-important correction never caught on. Even now it might struggle to gain traction against the weight of centuries of repetition. "Some find my reading too wild and unconventional to take seriously," Hoek remarks. "Others think that it is so obviously correct that it is barely worth arguing for." Ordinary folks might agree it sounds like semantics. And Hoek admits the reinterpretation hasn't and won't change physics. But carefully inspecting Newton's own writings clarifies what the pioneering mathematician was thinking at the time. "A great deal of ink has been spilt on the question what the law of inertia is really for," explains Hoek, who was puzzled as a student by what Newton meant. If we take the prevailing translation, of objects traveling in straight lines until a force compels them otherwise, then it raises the question: why would Newton write a law about bodies free of external forces when there is no such thing in our Universe; when gravity and friction are ever-present? "The whole point of the first law is to infer the existence of the force," George Smith, a philosopher at Tufts University and an expert in Newton's writings, told journalist Stephanie Pappas for Scientific American. In fact, Newton gave three concrete examples to illustrate his first law of motion: the most insightful, according to Hoek, being a spinning top – that as we know, slows in a tightening spiral due to the friction of air. "By giving this example," Hoek writes, "Newton explicitly shows us how the First Law, as he understands it, applies to accelerating bodies which are subject to forces – that is, it applies to bodies in the real world." Hoek says this revised interpretation brings home one of Newton's most fundamental ideas that was utterly revolutionary at the time. That is, the planets, stars, and other heavenly bodies are all governed by the same physical laws as objects on Earth. "Every change in speed and every tilt in direction," Hoek mused – from swarms of atoms to swirling galaxies – "is governed by Newton's First Law." Making us all feel once again connected to the farthest reaches of space. The paper has been published in the Philosophy of Science. An earlier version of this article was published in September 2023. Big Bang May Not Be The Beginning of Everything, New Theory Suggests 20-Year Mystery of The Muon's Wiggle May Finally Be Solved Sound of Earth's Flipping Magnetic Field Is an Unforgettable Horror
Otago Daily Times
27-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Tobacco industry playbook mirrored: research
New research shows coalition government MPs "closely mirrored the tobacco industry's playbook" to back their decision to repeal New Zealand's world-leading smokefree laws. University of Otago Aspire Aotearoa co-director Prof Janet Hoek said the sudden repeal of the law showed how quickly progress could be undone when politicians ignored evidence, public opinion and expert advice. She and fellow Otago researchers released a new Public Health Communication Centre briefing yesterday, showing an analysis of arguments made by the government during the rushed February 2024 repeal of the smokefree "endgame" laws. The laws would have reduced nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels, drastically cut the number of tobacco retailers, and created a smokefree generation by ending cigarette sales to people born after 2009. Prof Hoek said the repeal went against the best available evidence, against the advice of the Ministry of Health and against what most New Zealanders wanted. Researchers recently reviewed the verbatim Hansard record which showed what politicians said in the House of Representatives. They compared the contents with the Policy Dystopia Model, a framework that outlines argumentative strategies that tobacco companies use to oppose policies that restrict their marketing. "Many government arguments lacked evidence and closely mirrored the tobacco industry's playbook, such as overstating fears about illegal trade and shifting blame to individuals instead of holding tobacco companies accountable," she said. Hansard recordings from the time showed a New Zealand First Party MP saying, "Our smoking rates have fallen drastically in recent times ... If those trends continue without any additional measures, [we] will hit the headline smoke-free goal". Another showed a National Party MP saying, "We're going to be a lot less punitive ... provide [people] with more choice to help them quit". And an Act Party MP said, "... we [would] have a large illegal market putting profits in the pockets of gangs ..." if the smokefree laws continued. Opposition MPs strongly opposed the repeal, raising concerns about the lack of consultation, breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and the likely impact on health inequities. Prof Hoek said the researchers' analysis, published yesterday in BMJ journal Tobacco Control , provided evidence from the NZ Health Survey which showed the Smokefree 2025 goal was very unlikely to be achieved, particularly for Māori. The report said returning to individually-focused measures, such as smoking cessation support, shifted responsibility for smoking from tobacco companies to people who smoked. NZ data also showed the illicit tobacco trade would not put more money in the hands of gangs. It had remained stable over time, and recent analysis suggested it may have decreased. Whether deliberate or not, coalition MPs' use of arguments made by tobacco companies suggested an urgent need to restrict tobacco companies' ability to influence policy, the briefing said. "Additional measures, include introducing lobbying regulations, such as a code of conduct to govern lobbying, a register that records all lobbying activity undertaken by organisations, and legislation that would define how policy makers and officials maintain high compliance with their obligations under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control." The briefing said these policies would increase transparency and should be an urgent priority here, and internationally. While limiting lobbying and making interactions more transparent was crucial, even these steps might not capture all the interactions between politicians, their staff, tobacco companies or the groups they support. "Researchers must thus continue to question tobacco companies' arguments, and the logic and evidence used to support these, particularly given court findings that tobacco companies deceived the public for many decades." Prof Hoek said their analysis offered a cautionary tale for other countries considering smokefree measures.
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Aotearoa's Smokefree Setback Offers A Warning For Countries Advancing Tobacco Control
Aotearoa New Zealand's sudden repeal of world-leading smokefree laws last year shows how quickly progress can be undone when political decisions ignore evidence, public opinion, and expert advice, according to a new Public Health Communication Centre Briefing. In the Briefing, researchers from the University of Otago analyse arguments made by Government and Opposition MPs during the rushed February 2024 repeal of smokefree 'endgame' laws. These laws would have reduced nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels, drastically cut the number of tobacco retailers, and created a smokefree generation by ending cigarette sales to people born after 2009. Despite strong public support and compelling evidence showing the laws would reduce smoking and save lives, the Coalition Government used urgency to repeal them, cutting out public consultation. 'This repeal went against the best available evidence, against the advice of the Ministry of Health, and against what most New Zealanders want, says Prof Janet Hoek, co-director of ASPIRE Aotearoa. 'It's a textbook example of how tobacco industry-style arguments can derail bold public health action.' The analysis published today in the BMJ journal Tobacco Control found that: Government MPs claimed Aotearoa was 'on track' to reach Smokefree 2025 goals, despite data showing Māori smoking rates remain much higher than those of non-Māori. Many Government arguments lacked evidence and closely mirrored the tobacco industry's playbook, such as overstating fears about illegal trade and shifting blame to individuals instead of holding tobacco companies accountable. Opposition MPs strongly opposed the repeal, raising concerns about the lack of consultation, breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the likely impact on health inequities. Prof Hoek says their analysis offers a cautionary tale for other countries considering smokefree measures. 'Understanding how these arguments played out and how misinformation went unchallenged can help other countries protect their policies from similar attacks.' The Briefing calls for steps to safeguard public health policymaking from tobacco industry influence. These include excluding tobacco companies from consultation on public health policy, introducing strong lobbying rules and a public register of industry contact, and ensuring full transparency in all interactions between politicians and the tobacco industry or its allies. About The Public Health Communication Centre The Public Health Communication Centre (PHCC) is an independently funded organisation dedicated to increasing the reach and impact of public health research in Aotearoa New Zealand. We work with researchers, journalists, and policymakers to ensure evidence is clearly communicated and accessible. We regularly publish public health expert commentary and analysis from across Aotearoa in The Briefing.
Otago Daily Times
08-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Tobacco Transparency Bill ‘will benefit all'
Aspire Aotearoa Research Centre co-director Professor Janet Hoek. PHOTO: SUPPLIED When the government repealed smokefree legislation last year, questions were raised in the health and research sectors about why it was done, and if parties in the coalition government benefited from it. Opposition health spokeswoman Dr Ayesha Verrall's new Tobacco Transparency Bill, launched yesterday, aims to increase transparency, improve policy making, and stop the government from supporting, endorsing or advocating for the tobacco industry's interests. University of Otago researcher and Aspire Aotearoa co-director Prof Janet Hoek said the Bill was long overdue. "What the Bill is trying to do is to bring to light the evidence that would enable us to find out whether the [coalition] parties were benefiting from it. "At the moment, we don't know." The Bill was partly inspired by the actions of Associate Health Minister Casey Costello, who led the repeal of the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022. It effectively scrapped laws aimed at slashing tobacco retailers from 6000 to 600, removing 95% of the nicotine from cigarettes and creating a smokefree generation by banning sales to those born after 2009. Prof Hoek and Radio New Zealand sought information under the Official Information Act (OIA) to see what justification the ministry used to repeal the Act. Initially, Ms Costello refused to release any documents, citing a clause in the OIA legislation protecting confidential advice tendered by ministers and officials. So Prof Hoek and RNZ referred their OIA requests to chief ombudsman Peter Boshier, who ordered Ms Costello to release the information. Prof Hoek said they eventually received "a flood" of emails and documents, which had been heavily redacted by the ministry. "It's very difficult when a lot of the material is being heavily redacted because obviously you don't know what you don't know and it makes it difficult to undertake any kind of rigorous analysis. "All we do know is that we've seen a move towards decisions that align with the tobacco industry's interests. "And that's not just the repeal of the smokefree measures. "There were tax reductions on heated tobacco products, and there have been proposals to introduce oral nicotine products, which the tobacco industry has been pushing." Prof Hoek said it left many in the health and research sectors asking questions. "Does this new direction align with the research evidence? The answer to that is no. "Does it follow the expert advice from the Ministry of Health or from people like me working in the area? The answer to that is no. "Is there really resounding public support for this new direction of travel? Again, the answer to that is quite clearly no. "You end up thinking, who is going to benefit from these decisions and I think that's where you inevitably have to start considering the tobacco industry and what influence they've had." Under the Tobacco Transparency Bill, the prime minister would have to issue policies requiring ministers to declare any interests they have in tobacco companies; the minister of health would provide guidance for public officials explaining the potential for tobacco industry influence; and the public service commissioner would set standards for officials involved in developing tobacco control policies. Prof Hoek said the Bill would stop the government from supporting, endorsing or advocating for the tobacco industry's interests, and promote stronger compliance with Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which calls on parties to protect "policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry". The Bill would also prevent people with interests in the tobacco industry from working on tobacco policy, and limit officials' ability to move directly from government roles to positions in tobacco companies. "If politicians have got nothing to hide, that would be really obvious, and I think the net effect would be that some of the trust that's been lost in the government could potentially be regained. "The repeal of measures that would have seen New Zealand realise the Smokefree 2025 goal appalled the public health community. "This Bill will protect policies that promote wellbeing and equity, and that will benefit all New Zealanders," she said.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Yahoo
Kidnapping attempt, murder trial delay, new art space
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Here's the latest in news and weather for Friday, Feb. 28, with KELOLAND On The Go. The Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and FBI are investigating a kidnapping attempt that happened earlier this week. OSTDPS: Kidnapping attempt near Kyle under investigation A judge in Flandreau delayed the murder trial of Joseph Hoek by another five months to allow his attorneys more time to prepare their defense. Hoek murder trial delayed until October There's only one inmate on South Dakota's death row right now and his name is Briley Piper. Death row inmate tries one more time to spare his life Day two of the South Dakota High School State Wrestling Tournament is about to be underway in Rapid City. Busy weekend for sports in Rapid City A new Sioux Falls Business is looking to give creative people an outlet for their artistic skills. A new art space for people in Sioux Falls A new way to watch KELOLAND News is ready for viewers who don't have cable, or who aren't currently in the area. A new way to watch KELOLAND News Windy weather. Storm Center PM Update: Windy Start to the Weekend Follow KELOLAND News and Weather with the KELOLAND News app. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
