Experts Matter. Find Yours.
Connect for media, speaking, professional opportunities & more.
Industry and researchers call for action to tackle climate impact of organic, carbon-based chemicals
Call led by members of Supergen Bioenergy Hub, based at Aston University They highlight that carbon-based chemicals cannot be decarbonised but can be defossilised They want a transition to renewable carbon sources such as biomass, recycled carbon, and carbon dioxide. Director of Supergen Bioenergy Hub, Professor Patricia Thornley Industry experts and university researchers have joined together to ask the government to address the climate impact of organic, carbon-based chemicals. While demand for fossil fuels as energy is expected to fall in the coming decades, the petrochemicals sector is set to grow significantly according to experts and is set out in a 2018 report by the International Energy Agency. Members of the Supergen Bioenergy Hub which is based at Aston University and the Biomass Biorefinery Network believe the issue has yet to receive proper attention and is calling for a strategy that addresses this key component of our greenhouse gas emissions. They want a move to a more circular economy, managing supply and demand levels and transitioning away from fossil feedstocks which are raw materials required for some industrial processes. In their paper Carbon for chemicals How can biomass contribute to the defossilisation of the chemicals sector? they highlight that carbon-based chemicals cannot be decarbonised but can be defossilised through a transition to renewable carbon sources such as biomass, recycled carbon and carbon dioxide. Many products in modern society contain carbon such as pharmaceuticals, plastics, textiles, food additives, cosmetics, and cleaning products. These chemicals are derived from fossil feedstocks, so they are classed as petrochemicals. As a result, they contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Carbon is embedded in organic chemical products and released when they break down at end-of-life, for example through incineration. To address the emissions from carbon in chemicals and accelerate the development of bio-based chemicals, the group want a cross-party consensus to support a sustainable chemical system. Director of Supergen Bioenergy Hub, Professor Patricia Thornley, said: “We need to consider the UK’s future feedstock and chemicals production and use, and how it relates to net zero, agriculture, environment, economy, trade, and just transition policy objectives. There are opportunities here for the UK to lead the way on sustainable chemical production, but we need to carefully plan a roadmap for the transition, that delivers opportunities around jobs and the economy as well as sustainable greenhouse gas reductions. “There is a definite role for biomass here. But it is essential that any future use of biomass in the chemicals sector is underpinned by rigorous, trusted, and enforceable sustainability governance to build confidence, deliver sustainability benefits, and minimise negative impacts. That requires improvements in sustainability governance and regulation. “We think there are real economic and trade opportunities by the UK accelerating sustainable chemicals. At the moment bio-based chemicals, and chemicals derived from other renewable carbon sources, are not being expanded in the UK because there are no explicit incentives that prioritise them over fossil-based production.” The group argues that the UK has significant academic and industrial research expertise to underpin the development of sustainable bio-based products and could be a global leader in bio-based products and sustainability governance. They believe that to date little of this has manifested as UK-based scale-up and manufacturing, whilst there are numerous examples of UK-led research being scaled up elsewhere. The paper was delivered at a webinar on 7 August. Notes to Editors Carbon for chemicals How can biomass contribute to the defossilisation of the chemicals sector? https://www.supergen-bioenergy.net/output/carbon-for-chemicals-how-can-biomass-contribute-to-the-defossilisation-of-the-chemicals-sector-policy-briefing/ Author: Joanna Sparks (formerly Aston University) With contributions from: Cristiane Scaldaferri (formerly Aston University), Andrew Welfle (University of Manchester), Patricia Thornley (Aston University), Ashley Victoria (University of Leeds), Caspar Donnison (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), Jason Hallett (Imperial College London), Nilay Shah (Imperial College London), Mirjam Rӧder (Aston University), Paul Mines (Biome Bioplastics), David Bott (Society of Chemical Industry), Adrian Higson (NNFCC), Neil Bruce (University of York) 2018 International Energy Agency report https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-petrochemicals https://www.supergen-bioenergy.net/ The Supergen Bioenergy Hub works with academia, industry, government, and societal stakeholders to develop sustainable bioenergy systems that support the UK’s transition to an affordable, resilient, low-carbon energy future. The Hub is funded jointly by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) under grant EP/Y016300/1 and is part of the wider Supergen Programme. www.bbnet-nibb.co.uk The Biomass Biorefinery Network (BBNet), a phase II Network in Industrial Biotechnology & Bioenergy funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC-NIBB) under grant BB/S009779/1. The aim of the Biomass Biorefinery Network is to act as a focal point to build and sustain a dynamic community of industrial and academic practitioners who work together to develop new and improved processes for the conversion of non-food biomass into sustainable fuels, chemicals and materials. About Aston University For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally. Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world. Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming the Guardian University of the Year in 2020. Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world. For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Nicola Jones, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7825 342091 or email: n.jones6@aston.ac.uk
As the new school year kicks off, CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) is reminding motorists to remain attentive when driving through school zones as more children are present in these areas. A recent survey conducted by CAA SCO found that 60 per cent of parents surveyed are concerned about the driving behaviours witnessed in their child’s school zone and consider their child’s school zone unsafe – a five per cent increase from last year. “It is no surprise that parents are concerned for the safety of their children; they have the right to get to and from school safely,” says Tracy Marshall, manager community relations CAA SCO, “speeding, double parking and stopping in school bus zones are all commonly reported unsafe driving behaviours parents see in their child’s school zones.” As a result, a majority of parents (85 per cent) support reducing speed limits in school zones, with over 77 per cent of these parents agreeing that 30km/h or less is the most appropriate speed limit. Of those surveyed, 68 per cent of parents strongly support the use of Automatic Speed Enforcement (ASE) in school zones, and 79 per cent believe its presence would deter speeding around schools. Additionally, 3 in 4 (73 per cent) consider that ASE should remain permanent in school zones. “Automated Speed Enforcement, along with the presence of police officers and speed bumps, continue to be identified as the primary measures to deter speeding in these zones,” adds Marshall, “through education, we hope to help motorists to make more responsible decisions behind the wheel to protect themselves and those around them.” Tips for responsible driving behaviours in school zone areas: • Help reduce traffic with active school travel: Encourage your kids to walk or wheel to school to ease traffic congestion. If your school is a further distance, CAA SCO encourages parents and guardians to park a block away and walk to school to reduce traffic and make school zones safer. • Put away distractions: Pedestrian safety begins with drivers. It’s important to put away distractions such as phones and be extra attentive in school zones, whether a parent is driving, or a child is walking to school. • Slow down: Know and respect the speed limit in your neighbourhood’s school zones. Give yourself plenty of time to drop off your kids at school to avoid rushing. • Choose a safe spot to drop off and pick up your children from school: Follow your school’s rules and avoid double parking or stopping on crosswalks, dropping off or picking up your kids on the opposite side of the street, and stopping in moving traffic as kids rush out. Instead, use the designated drop-off areas or consider a spot a bit farther away from school that is easily accessible and safe. • Make eye contact with pedestrians: With the excitement of going back to school, anticipate that children may not easily see or hear your moving vehicle, so ensure to make eye contact with pedestrians crossing the road. • Stop for school buses: Never pass a stopped school bus with an activated stop arm and flashing red lights as children get on and off the bus. Passing a school bus as it loads and unloads children – not only is this dangerous, but it’s also illegal. • Watch for CAA School Safety Patrollers: When travelling to and from school, watch for CAA School Safety Patrollers in their lime green safety vests, as they play an important role in ensuring the roadway is safe before kids cross on their own. CAA supports safety in school zones through the CAA School Safety Patrol® program, developed to protect and educate elementary school children on safe road-crossing practices. CAA’s Ontario Road Safety Resource is a toolkit with valuable lesson plans for teachers to help educate students about road safety. To learn more, please visit www.caasco.com/schoolzone. The online survey was conducted by DIG Insights in May 2024, with 1,520 Ontario parents/guardians with children attending school from kindergarten to grade 8. Based on the sample size of n=1,520 and with a confidence level of 95 per cent, the margin of error for this research is +/- 2%.)
Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics appoints new director
Dr Krzysztof Kredens, a reader in forensic linguistics at the University, took up the position on 1 August 2024 The move comes after founding director, Professor Tim Grant, announced he was stepping down Dr Nicci MacLeod, who completed her PhD at the university in 2006, has been promoted to deputy director. The Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics (AIFL) has announced the appointment of Dr Krzysztof Kredens as its new director. Dr Kredens is a reader in forensic linguistics and was one of the three founding members of the Centre for Forensic Linguistics (CFL), the predecessor to AIFL, when he joined Aston University in 2007. He takes over the role vacated by fellow founding member of the Centre and latterly Institute, Professor Tim Grant, who steps down after five years as AIFL Director, and another six as CFL director prior to that. Dr Nicci MacLeod has been appointed as deputy director, with both commencing their new roles on 1 August 2024. Dr MacLeod is a senior lecturer in forensic linguistics and has been involved with the subject at the University since beginning her PhD in 2006. She has been programme director for the MA Forensic Linguistics since 2022. The mission of AIFL is to improve the delivery of justice through the analysis of language. Its experts study forensic texts and contexts producing academically rigorous, high impact research using insights and methods from diverse areas of linguistics to achieve this mission. Dr Kredens said: “I am delighted to be taking up the role of director at the Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics. “On behalf of the Institute, I would like to thank Professor Tim Grant for his service as CFL/AIFL Director. His leadership over the years has been invaluable and his impact has been profound. “While he will be stepping down from his role, he will continue to share his expertise and experience and keep contributing to AIFL and the University in other capacities. Dr MacLeod said: “It has been a genuine privilege to work under Tim’s Directorship, and we look forward to his continuing involvement with AIFL for many years to come. Having been involved with forensic linguistics at Aston University for the past eighteen years, I am thrilled to take on this new role and excited to continue this important work. Professor Grant said: “Being Director of AIFL has been the highlight and privilege of my career so far, and deciding to step back one of the biggest decisions. I’m delighted with the appointment of Krzysztof and Nicci as director and deputy director, and excited to see where they take AIFL next.”
The project is a collaboration between Aston University, the University of Sheffield and The Resolution Foundation The project aims to leverage new, big data to help understand regional economic disparities It is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Aston University, in collaboration with the University of Sheffield and The Resolution Foundation, has launched a significant research project to understand regional productivity and wage disparities in the UK. The project has received £300,000 in funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to uncover the factors driving economic imbalances using recent, big data. The research will analyse how various factors such as workers' education, location choices, business types and sizes and regional infrastructure contribute to wage and productivity differences over the past 20 years. The aim is to understand these differences and suggest practical solutions for national and local governments. Researchers will explore potential drivers of regional productivity gaps, including the clustering of highly skilled workers, regional industrial structures, and local endowments like transport links and housing availability. The findings will help identify effective policy measures to reduce these imbalances. This project also aims to demonstrate how data analysis can help understand regional economic disparities. By reducing start-up costs for future research, it will build a community focused on tackling spatial economic imbalances. Dr Anastasios Kitsos, a senior lecturer in economics at Aston Business School and principal investigator (PI) on the project, said: “This project will analyse the relative importance of productivity drivers using novel, granular data from linked administrative datasets covering workers, firms and localities in England since the 2000s. “This analysis will shed light into how much spatial productivity gaps can be explained by the characteristics of people, firms and places over time, and identify intrinsically more productive locations. “Understanding and addressing the root causes of the UK's severe spatial disparities in economic performance is crucial for fostering inclusive, regionally balanced growth and enhancing national productivity. This project aims to provide actionable insights and build a foundation for future research and policy development in this critical area. “The results will be shared in a comprehensive report detailing these influences over the past 20 years and offering policy recommendations for governments on skills, innovation, infrastructure, and local development strategies.”
National Institutes of Health award $1.827 million for research on collective cell migration
Priscilla Hwang, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University, has received a National Institutes of Health grant for $1.827 million over five years. The award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences will support Hwang’s innovative research project “Dissecting mechanisms of collective migration” and provide mentorship for student researchers from the high school to graduate level. Collective migration, where groups of cells move together in a coordinated manner, is critical for the successful development of tissues and plays a vital role in wound healing, metastasis, and other biological processes. Dysregulation in collective migration is often linked to developmental abnormalities and disease progression. Despite its importance, the mechanics and mechanisms driving collective migration remain poorly understood. The project is organized around three primary goals: Investigate the effect of biomechanical cues to activate leader cells and directional collective migration: Understand how biomechanical signals activate leader cells to guide the migration of cell groups. Elucidate which and how leader cell mechanics are responsible for leader cell development: Identify the specific mechanical properties and behaviors that enable leader cells to emerge and lead the collective migration process. Examine the role of cell junctional forces in collective migration: Explore how the forces at cell contacts contribute to the overall migration and coordination among cells. Hwang will leverage her expertise in 3D microphysiological systems to study collective migration in dynamic, physiologically relevant environments. Her work aims to uncover the mechanisms by which leader cells sense and respond to mechanical forces in their environment, driving the collective migration of cells. “Our understanding of collective migration, especially the mechanics and mechanisms driving this phenomenon, is very limited,” Hwang said. “Our proposal will significantly accelerate our progress toward a comprehensive understanding of collective migration and lay the foundation for advancing treatment for developmental abnormalities or diseases.” The NIH grant will also expand student research and mentoring opportunities. “This Maximizing Investigators Research Award (MIRA) only goes to the most highly talented and promising investigators, and Dr. Hwang is most deserving,” said Rebecca L. Heise, Ph.D., Inez A. Caudill, Jr. Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering . “The award will provide support for undergraduate and predoctoral research opportunities in this important area of fundamental research that has an impact on neonatal development, cancer, and fibrotic disease.” To ensure diverse perspectives are considered throughout the project, Hwang said students from diverse populations will be recruited, including underrepresented minorities, women, and first-generation college students. “Further, we will continue to share our passion for science with the community through developing hands-on outreach activities based on our research findings,” she added.
Election 2024: Providing insight during a pivotal campaign season
Voter behavior and emotion, civil discourse, the spread of misinformation, the role of gender and race in politics and conspiracy theories are among the many topics University of Delaware experts can comment on during this final stretch of the 2024 campaign. David Redlawsk Professor of Political Science and International Relations Expertise: Political psychologist who studies voter behavior and emotion, focuses on how voters process political information to make their decisions. He has written several books on politics, worked behind the scenes on campaigns and ran for local office. Dannagal Young Professor of Communication Director of the Center for Political Communication Expertise: The spread of misinformation in politics and the intersection of entertainment and information, with an emphasis on political satire, political media effects, public opinion and the psychology of political humor. Kassra Oskooii Professor of Political Science and International Relations Expertise: Focuses on the interplay between the contextual and psychological determinants of political opinions and behaviors of high and low status group members. Erin Cassese Professor of Political Science and International Relations Expertise: Explores the behavior of women as voters and candidates for political office, and studies political psychology, gender stereotypes, public opinion, elections and the intersection of religion and politics. Yasser Payne Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies Expertise: Research program also focuses on Black racial identity; street identity; economic and educational opportunity or the impact of structural violence. Tim Shaffer SNF Ithaca Director Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Chair of Civil Discourse Expertise: Civil discourse in politics; can talk about partisanship, polarization and their impact on media outlets. advancement of democratic practices by focusing on the role of civic professionals in institutional settings. Alice Ba Professor and acting chair, Political Science and International Relations. Expertise: Her work on the international relations of East and Southeast Asia examines the structures, processes, and systemic effects of regionalism and cooperative regime building, as well as relations between smaller and major powers. Joanne Miller Professor of American Politics, Research Methods and Political Psychology Expertise: Studies political psychology, with an emphasis on political propaganda, misinformation and conspiracy theories. Muqtedar Khan Professor of Comparative Politics, International Relations and Political Theory Expertise: Issues surrounding U.S. foreign policy in the Muslim World as well as national security and counter-terrorism. To speak with any of these experts, simply visit their profle and click on the "contact" button, which will send a message directly to them (while also copying UD's media relations team).
ChristianaCare Nurses Inducted as American Academy of Nursing Fellows
In recognition of their extraordinary impact on the nursing profession, two ChristianaCare nurses have been named as Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). This prestigious recognition highlights their significant contributions to nursing leadership, innovation and health care policy. Michelle Collins, DNP, APRN, CNS, ACNS-BC, NPD-BC, NEA-BC, LSSBB, currently serves as vice president of Nursing Professional Excellence at ChristianaCare. Throughout her accomplished 30-year career, Collins has played a crucial role in improving how nurses practice and learn. Her leadership was significant in achieving ChristianaCare’s third Magnet® designation, highlighting her commitment to excellence. Collins’ initiatives, including pioneering a Virtual Acute Care Nursing model and securing a $1.5 million grant for nursing technology integration, have set new standards in health care innovation. Danielle Sarik, Ph.D., APRN, CPNP-PC, is a nurse scientist consultant at ChristianaCare. Her research contributions have been integral in shaping policies that improve health care outcomes for children and families. Sarik is renowned for developing and implementing the Baby Steps model, recognized by the AAN as an Edge Runner designee. This pioneering transition of care approach addresses health equity for neonatal patients and families following discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit. “Induction into the Academy represents the highest honor in nursing,” said AAN President Linda Scott. “Earning the Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) credential is a significant recognition of one’s accomplishments and signifies the future impact they will make in collaboration with their colleagues in the Academy.”
Florida Tech, Kennedy Space Center to Study Waste Treatment in Space
Associate professor of chemical engineering Toufiq Reza has spent years researching sustainable waste conversion techniques on Earth. When Florida Tech offered him a sabbatical, he took the chance to learn what that conversion process looks like in outer space while further strengthening the university’s already deep ties to NASA. In Fall 2023, Reza became the first professor to leverage school funding to spend a semester at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. He worked with Annie Meier, who leads a team developing ways to convert astronaut-generated trash into fuel during missions, known as in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). “I wanted to do something different that I haven’t done. I have been doing research in my field; I know who the players are,” Reza said.” I could have easily gone to a research lab at another university and continued my research. But I wanted to learn something new.” His sabbatical prompted a new partnership between NASA Kennedy and Florida Tech. This summer, they signed an annex to their existing Space Act Agreement which will allow Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and the university to conduct joint research regarding logistical waste treatment and ISRU. “At NASA, we want researchers who are doing something that could help us, that could be synergistic, and to not reinvent the wheel,” said Jose Nuñez, university partnerships and small sat capabilities manager at NASA Kennedy. “The goal is to find professors who can benefit the agency in an area that needs more research.” As part of the agreement, KSC will share raw materials, waste simulant samples and information such as gas composition data with Florida Tech. In return, the university will analyze and share findings, such as what useful products can be taken from trash-to-gas waste for use as plant nutrients, and evaluate value-added applications. “I will encourage students to work on some of their technologies, test them in our lab and vice versa. This is a massive thing,” Reza said. “We can learn from each other to help each other.” Already, Reza’s students have visited Meier’s lab, and Meier and her KSC team came to Florida Tech to present her research and visit the university’s research facilities. Meier’s goals are similar to Reza’s: Both researchers want to find sustainable ways to convert trash and waste into energy, materials and chemicals. However, the methods aren’t completely transferrable between the two different environments of Earth and space. On Earth, Reza explained, waste can be burned or stored in a landfill. Neither of those options are viable in space. “You cannot dig up the moon soil and start burying. There is no oxygen or air to actually burn it…there is no water,” Reza explained. Currently, astronaut waste, such as food packaging, clothing, hygiene items and uneaten food, is launched back towards Earth and incinerates on the way there. However, Meier is working to advance waste mitigation technology, which Reza got to see up close. One of her projects, the Orbital Syngas/Commodity Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR), mixes oxygen, heat and trash in a reactor, which burns the trash and collects the gas it creates. Over the course of the semester, Reza assisted in KSC’s Applied Chemistry Lab, where Meier’s research took place. He offered both expertise and extra hands, from helping measure samples to reading through literature. He also took note of innovative technology for potential new research ideas, such as potentially developing a way of protecting metal coatings in space using the tools he learned. Meier’s waste conversion technology is built for a space environment, but Reza said it is unlikely that her complete systems could be used for waste conversion on Earth. Just as water and oxygen are limited resources in space but are plentiful on Earth, vacuums are plentiful resources in space but are expensive to create back home. However, that doesn’t stop the researchers from seeking inspiration through the new partnership. “We can learn from them and then take a part of their technology and integrate it with ours to make our technology more sustainable and vice versa,” Reza said. “They can improve their technology by utilizing part of our technology as well. As Meier said, “I wanted to learn on the terrestrial side how we can infuse some of our technology, and he wanted to learn from us to grow into the space sector, so it was a really cool match.”
Earlier this year, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced that it would move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), greatly reducing the restrictions on the drug. It represents a historic change in federal marijuana policy and a watershed moment for generations of activists that have sought legalization on a national level. While many advocates believe the shift bodes well for efforts to relax controls on other Schedule I drugs—including promising psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA, and LSD– Vanderbilt Law professor Robert Mikos argues that the marijuana rescheduling decision will not pave the way for rescheduling any other drug. Mikos explains that the decision preserves the barriers that make it virtually impossible to remove drugs from Schedule I. He labels those barriers the “tyrannies of scheduling.” In his paper “Marijuana and the Tyrannies of Scheduling,” forthcoming in Fordham Law Review, Mikos lays out the core challenges posed by the existing scheduling process and offers a solution that would lead to “more rational scheduling decisions that better reflect the benefits and dangers of controlled substances, as Congress intended.” The Role of Currently Accepted Medical Use in Scheduling Decisions The CSA creates five Schedules (I-V). Scheduling dictates how a drug is regulated under the statute. Schedule I drugs are subject to the most restrictive controls, and those controls are steadily relaxed as one moves down the schedules. Congress made all the initial scheduling decisions when it passed the CSA in 1970, but it also empowered the DEA, working in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to reschedule drugs based on new information acquired after the passage of the statute. Agency scheduling decisions are supposed to be based on three core characteristics of a drug: its abuse potential, its dependence liability, and whether it has a currently accepted medical use (CAMU). Unfortunately, these characteristics do not always suggest the same schedule for a drug. But as Mikos explains, the DEA has grossly simplified the scheduling process by suggesting that CAMU determinations should trump all other considerations. In particular, the agency has insisted that a drug with no CAMU must be placed on Schedule I, regardless of its abuse potential or dependence liability. According to Mikos, the DEA’s simplification of the scheduling process places tremendous weight on agency CAMU determinations and how the agency chooses to define this particular scheduling criteria. The Tyranny of Science In the past, the DEA insisted that the only way to demonstrate that a drug has a CAMU was by completing multiple controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrating that a drug is effective at treating some medical indication, the same requirement for new drug approval under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. As Mikos has noted in his past work, completing such trials is “notoriously expensive and time-consuming,” requiring strict parameters and a large number of participants. The challenge is even more daunting for drugs already on Schedule I, because the CSA restricts research on such drugs. Due to regulatory restrictions, marijuana advocates have struggled to complete even a single RCT demonstrating marijuana’s medical efficacy. Indeed, in the past 50 years, only one Schedule I drug (Epidiolex) has ever been able to satisfy the DEA’s CAMU test, leading Mikos to label the agency’s science-focused approach the “Tyranny of Science.” The Tyranny of the Majority In 2023, however, HHS devised an alternative CAMU test that emphasizes practical experience over scientific research. “Because more than 30,000 health care practitioners (HCPs) had already recommended the drug to their patients in the thirty-eight states with medical marijuana laws,” Mikos explains, “the agency concluded there was enough clinical experience to demonstrate that marijuana has a CAMU and thus could be rescheduled.” But while this alternative test does not require completing RCTs – and thereby eliminates the Tyranny of Science – Mikos demonstrates that it is no less tyrannical than the DEA’s original CAMU test. According to Mikos, the alternative CAMU test simply “imposes a different form of tyranny: the Tyranny of the Majority.” He explains that to accumulate the clinical experience needed to satisfy the new test, advocates must convince popular majorities in a substantial number of states to legalize medical use of a drug. It took decades to build the public support necessary to do that for marijuana, and Mikos points out that no other Schedule I drug currently commands the same level of public support as marijuana. “Despite growing interest in the therapeutic value of [psychedelics, . . . less than a quarter of all Americans support legalizing psychedelics like psilocybin,” Mikos writes. “By comparison, 90% of Americans support legalizing medical marijuana.” What is more, even if large numbers of states were to legalize medical use of a substance like psilocybin or MDMA, advocates will also have to convince large numbers of patients, their health care practitioners (HCPs), and their suppliers to risk federal sanctions in order to accumulate the clinical experience HHS demands to satisfy the new CAMU test. “While marijuana was finally able to run the gauntlet, no other Schedule I is likely to replicate that feat anytime soon. Other promising Schedule I drugs like psilocybin, MDMA, and LSD are likely to remain trapped on that schedule for the foreseeable future,” the paper states. A New Way Forward Mikos argues that the agencies did not need to create a new CAMU test to reschedule marijuana. He suggests that the DEA has placed too much emphasis on CAMU in scheduling decisions. The DEA “has no authority, and no good reason, to hold (or place) a drug on Schedule I solely because the drug lacks a currently accepted medical use.” Indeed, Mikos suggests the agency’s emphasis on CAMU runs contrary to the text of the CSA and provides insufficient information about a drug’s benefits and risks to make sensible scheduling decisions. Rather than propose yet another, less tyrannical CAMU test, Mikos suggests that the DEA should instead take a more flexible approach to scheduling, one that considers all 3 criteria – a drug’s abuse potential, its dependence liability, and whether or not it has a currently accepted medical use (CAMU)—to determine where a drug belongs among the statute’s five schedules. “Although my approach would not make it any easier to demonstrate CAMU, it would reduce the dominant influence CAMU determinations now wield over scheduling decisions,” Mikos concludes. It would enable the agency to remove drugs like marijuana, psilocybin, or MDMA from Schedule I, even if they lack a currently accepted medical use, if their abuse potential and dependence liability so warrant. “As a result,” he notes, “my approach would foster more rational administrative scheduling decisions going forward.”
Why Japan Issued a "Megaquake" Advisory Following Last Week's Tremor
The magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Japan's southern islands on August 8 left some residents of the country in panic. Not from the tremor itself, which caused only a handful of minor injuries and quick-expiring tsunami alerts, but rather the unprecedented advisory from the Japanese Meteorological Agency warning of an elevated risk of a "megaquake" in the region over the coming weeks. A "megaquake," short for a megathrust earthquake, is a type of temblor that occurs at a subduction zone, where one tectonic plate slips under another. A release of the tension that forms the thrust fault where the two plates meet can trigger some of the strongest earthquakes on the planet, measuring 9.0 or higher on the Richter scale, and produce large tsunamis. It may sound a bit alarmist, but Isabel Hong, PhD, assistant professor in Villanova University's Department of Geography and the Environment, assures that "even though it is not possible to predict earthquakes, the advisory comes from a place of prior knowledge." "We can't say for certain [when these earthquakes will happen]," she reiterated. "But probability suggests it could be more likely, in part because this smaller earthquake event occurred." The acute event—last week's earthquake—is indeed the root of the alert, which was issued in the following hours. The quake's epicenter was located close to the end of the Nankai Trough, a subduction zone off the coast of Japan where the Philippine Sea Plate slips under the Eurasian Plate. The Nankai Trough has historically produced strong earthquakes, most recently an 8.0 tremor in 1946. "Oftentimes, a large earthquake event can then trigger subsequent earthquakes," Dr. Hong said. "It can transfer stress to other faults that can make it more conducive for other earthquakes to then rupture, and that's the general belief of what's happening with the Nankai Trough right now." To compound the acute disturbance last week, Japanese government officials had already previously warned of a 70-80 percent likelihood of a Nankai Trough earthquake measuring 8-9 on the scale within the next 30 years. That warning was the product of extensive research into the region's seismic history. "All of the data that goes into [an advisory like that] is pulled from the work of dedicated scientists looking at past earthquake and tsunami deposits," said Dr. Hong, who herself studies prehistoric geohazards by analyzing their geologic trails along coasts. "This allows us to refine our understanding of the frequency of such events in a region. In this case, scientists can say, 'These happen about every 100 years, and it's already been over 70. Therefore, there's a higher probability another will occur in the next 30.'" If it does, officials fear that a strong earthquake could trigger a massive tsunami that would reach the coast of Japan within minutes due to its proximity, threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals. "Tsunamis occur along active subduction zones like the Nankai Trough," Dr. Hong said. "They do have to be generated by a strong earthquake, yes, but more important in their impact to coastal communities is the shape of the coastline offshore. If they go from deep to shallow water very fast, the tsunami builds tall." So, whether it appears alarmist or not, having the ability to study these seismic events in a way that can warn individuals of heightened risks should not be taken for granted, says Dr. Hong. Early warning signs and advisories for potential geohazards can save lives. "One of the reasons we dig into the geologic past is to help inform people what could happen in the future."
