Centro de Documentación de las Artes Escénicas y de la Música
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Further updates to the Committee on Space Research Planetary Protection Policy for missions to Icy Worlds
No full textRecent discoveries have underscored the potential habitability of outer Solar System bodies like icy moons and dwarf planets. Such discoveries have elevated these bodies to high-priority targets for future astrobiology missions. However, the exploration of these environments necessitates a review and update of existing Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) planetary protection policies in view of new discoveries and to be more encompassing. A recent study by Doran et al. (Doran et al. 2024 Life Sci. Space Res. 41, 86–99. (doi:10.1016/j.lssr.2024.02.002)) proposed modifications to the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy. Here, members of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection (PPP) update those proposals based on additional community input garnered since that publication. Updates include (i) a refined definition of Icy Worlds, (ii) establish Ceres as an Icy World in addition to others under this new definition, (iii) the creation and explanation of the two-stage probability calculation for Icy Worlds, and (iv) ensuring that samples returned from an Icy World follow the same six-question framework used for small bodies in the current policy to determine whether they require restricted or unrestricted return. By incorporating critical updates, we aim to ensure the responsible exploration of these potentially life-bearing worlds while safeguarding their pristine state for future scientific investigation. The input presented in this paper will be used to make final proposals for changes to the COSPAR Policy regarding Icy Worlds by the PPP. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Planetary Protection for sustainable space exploration’
Building technological capabilities for local MedTech transformation in Africa: evidence from devices for cervical cancer prevention in Kenya
No full textMedical devices (MDs) are crucial to the capabilities of a health system; however, their supply chains for African healthcare systems are under-researched. Kenya serves as a strong illustrative case: despite having robust manufacturing bases in East Africa, the health system is primarily import-dependent, and local MD manufacturing capacity is limited. This article employs a novel ‘capability–knowledge base matrix’, integrating the conceptual approaches of technological capabilities (TCs) and knowledge bases, to explore the development of the African medical technology sector. Using a case study of MDs supporting reproductive health and cervical cancer (CC) prevention, this research indicates that success within the African MedTech sector needs active investment in cumulative learning within firms, strong linkages with external stakeholders, connections with the domestic health system, and systematic trade and industrial policy support. This paper highlights that strengthening domestic procurement, streamlining regulatory pathways and supporting incremental capability development are key policy strategies for transforming the African MedTech sector
Microbes from ambient-pressure analogues offer insights into possible life in Europa’s high-pressure subsurface ocean
No full textUnder its thick ice layer, Europa contains a shielded liquid water ocean where habitable conditions may exist. To effectively assess the habitability of this environment and the implications on putative biosignature formation, it is essential to integrate our understanding of the physicochemical conditions of the sub-surface ocean with ground-truth analysis on Earth, using both natural analogue sites and laboratory simulation experiments. This combined approach is particularly prudent for Europa, as locations proposed as natural analogues for the chemistry of Europa’s ocean are predominantly located at ambient pressure (~0.1 MPa), which differs even from the shallowest depths of Europa’s ocean (e.g., 20 to 30 MPa). Basque Lake No. 2, British Columbia, Canada, was used as geochemical analogue for the ice shell-ocean interface and sub-ice environment of Europa due to the Mg-Na-SO 4 chemistry (maximum 30 to 40% salinity in the summer) and temperature extremes [can reach −45 °C at night in the winter. In this study, microorganisms from the site were grown at elevated pressures in fluid medium based on a model of Europa’s ocean chemistry, mimicking the conditions at Europa’s upper ocean. Following incubation at successively higher pressures, (0.2, 10, 20 and 30 MPa) a microorganism with 99.1% 16S rRNA gene sequence homology to Pseudodesulfovibrio aespoeensis was isolated at 30 MPa (designated Pseudodesulfovibrio sp. OU_01). To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that microorganisms from an analogue site located at ambient pressure can grow at elevated pressures associated with Europa’s upper ocean
Conceptualising inclusive in inclusive innovations: evidence from the AI-based MedTech for cancer detection in India
No full textEarly detection of cancers is a major challenge in India due to the limited availability and access to early detection modalities in low-resource healthcare settings. Recent artificial intelligence (AI)-driven point-of-care (PoC) medical technology (MedTech) innovations for early detection have shown some signs of bridging this gap. This article has two objectives: first, to contextualize these innovations into the broader health-industrial construct of early detection modalities for cancer in India. For this, we use our novel Inclusive Health Innovation framework to frame adaptation of the scarcity-induced innovation matrix by Srinivas and Sutz. Second, it conceptualizes inclusivity in the context of these PoC MedTechs, exploring its implications for cancer detection in India. Using three case studies of PoC MedTechs for oral, breast, and cervical cancer, and data from online semi-structured interviews, this article provides critical insights into inclusiveness in the development process and outcomes of these innovations in low-resource healthcare settings
Rising from irrelevance: the media framing of Brock Purdy’s rookie season in the NFL
No full textThis paper examines the media framing of Brock Purdy’s unexpected rise during his rookie season in the NFL. As the last pick of the 2022 draft, Purdy’s journey from ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ to a key player for the San Francisco 49ers captivated public and media attention, creating a compelling underdog story. The analysis focuses on media coverage from seven major publications, exploring how portrayals of Purdy evolved across the season. The key findings suggest that Purdy’s success was framed not only as an athletic achievement but also as a symbol of resilience, perseverance, and overcoming adversity. By leveraging Purdy’s status as an underdog, the media constructed a narrative that resonated with broader societal values, enhancing public engagement. This study contributes to sports media literature by filling a gap in research on underdog themes and how they shape perceptions of athletes in contemporary media
Unthinkable gay Black men: Asymmetric conjunction fallacies at the intersection of race and sexual orientation
No full textPeople often hold incompatible stereotypes of gay and Black men, making it unlikely for someone to be seen as both simultaneously. Five studies with 1226 participants evidence that these stereotypes produce classic conjunction fallacy violations of extensional reasoning. Adapting Tversky and Kahneman's (1983, Psychological Review , 90(4), 293–315.) classic ‘Linda problem’, we found that a man with Black‐stereotypic attributes was deemed more likely to be both Black and gay than to be gay (Studies 1 and 3), while a man with gay‐stereotypic attributes was deemed more likely to be both gay and Black than to be Black (Studies 2 and 4). These effects were not equivalent, suggesting that Black‐stereotypic traits preclude attributions of gayness more than gay‐stereotypic preclude attributions of Blackness. Updating impressions of a gay‐stereotypic man with Black‐stereotypic attributes suppressed judgements of the likelihood he is gay. However, new information that a Black‐stereotypic man has gay‐stereotypic attributes did not suppress the likelihood he is Black (Study 5). New information that a Black‐stereotypic man is gay did not ‘deracialize’ him as much as the inference that a gay‐stereotypic man is Black ‘degayed’ him. These asymmetric conjunction fallacies triangulate with past findings to suggest ‘Black’ may be dominant over ‘gay’ in impression formation at this intersection
Early Observations of New Active Asteroid 2025 VZ<sub>8</sub>
No full textWe report observations of main-belt asteroid 2025 VZ8 using multiple telescopes from UT 2025 November 24 to UT 2025 December 23 that confirm the presence of visible comet-like activity. These observations were motivated by online reports that an abrupt brightening event may have led to the object’s discovery on UT 2025 November 9. In all observations reported here, the object displays a tapered tail approximately 3″ long aligned with the antisolar direction. The object has an asteroidal Tisserand parameter value with respect to Jupiter (TJ = 3.371), and is thus considered an active asteroid. We measure an average apparent r′ -band magnitude of mr ∼ 21.6 mag over the reported observing period. Due to the sudden appearance of activity far from perihelion, we suggest that the activity is more likely due to an impact or rotational destabilization, rather than sublimation
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No full textDelivering Blue Economy and Nature Recovery in Coastal Communities—A Diverse Economies Perspective
No full textBlue economy aims to bring prosperity to coastal communities whilst also protecting natural ocean resources for future generations. But how can this vision be put into practice, especially in communities in which dependence on natural resources is high, and food and livelihood security are key concerns? This paper examines two cases of community-led nature-based enterprise in Kenya in a search for solutions to this challenge: fisheries reform through market access and gear sustainability; mangrove forest conservation and community development using carbon credit revenues. I use a ‘diverse economies framework’ for the first time in blue economy contexts to delve into the heterogeneous relations at work and in search of insights that can be applied in multiple contexts. Analysed through key informant interviews and field observation, the cases reveal a complex assemblage of institutions, knowledges, technologies, and practices within which enterprises operate. Whilst the enterprises featured are still relatively new and developing, they suggest a direction of travel for a community-led sustainable blue economy that both supports and benefits from nature recovery. The insights gained from this diverse economies analysis lead us to appreciate a sustainable blue economy as a rediscovered and reinvigorated relationship of reciprocity between society and nature—one that nurtures place-based nature-based livelihoods and nature recovery together, and which embodies a set of values and ethics shared by government, communities, and business
A decade of computer-algebra-aided online assessment of mathematics at the UK Open University
No full textWe reflect on over ten years’ experience of using the STACK computer-algebra-aided online assessment system to support the learning of large numbers of distance learning students at the UK Open University. The motivation for the use of, in particular, computer-algebra-aided assessment is discussed together with the use of formative practice quizzes to enhance learning and summative tests for assessment. We consider the challenges faced in the adoption and use of the system, as well as the successes achieved