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Environmental activists battle nurdles on Galveston shores, calling for regulation

Environment Texas and the Turtle Island Restoration Network held a beach cleanup in Galveston on Nov. 7 to help rid the shore of nurdles. The groups also recently asked state leaders for more nurdle regulation since they said the pellets can be a threat to wildlife and people.

Julianna Washburn/HPMVolunteer Laura Leavitt works alongside another volunteer to collect nurdles at a beach cleanup in Galveston on Nov. 7, 2025.On Nov. 7, Laura Leavitt knelt on the Galveston shore beside her best friend, picking tiny bits of plastic out of the sand. The two friends were among around 20 other volunteers working piece by piece to help rid the beach of nurdles — small plastic pellets used to create plastic products such as soda bottles or cottage cheese containers. "What we don’t take care of circles back to us, and I think just from picking up a piece of trash in your neighborhood, you’re contributing," Leavitt said. The group of volunteers was part of Environment Texas and the Turtle Island Restoration Network's Galveston cleanup. Along with continued nurdle beach cleanups, the groups also recently asked state leaders for more nurdle regulation since they said the pellets can be a threat to wildlife and people. "We’re not asking for plastic production to be stopped. We’re asking for regulations to be in place to keep it safe for our environment," Joanie Steinhaus, who is the ocean program director for the Turtle Island Restoration Network, said. There are 36 facilities in Texas that produce nurdles, with three facilities along Galveston Bay, according to Turtle Island. Steinhaus said companies transport the microplastics to other facilities by truck or train in order to make the plastic products. Steinhaus said since nurdles are lightweight, when they spill during manufacturing or transport, they escape into the environment and eventually work their way onto Texas beaches. On Nov. 7, volunteers collected 1,216 nurdles. Since 2020, Steinhaus said Turtle Island has collected over 16,000 nurdles on Galveston beaches, which she said is a concern for wildlife and humans since nurdles attach to toxins in the water. "If you happen to eat fish that’s ingested nurdles, you’re not eating the plastic nurdles, but you could be eating the toxins that work their way into the flesh of the fish," Steinhaus said. "If there’s fertilizers or pesticides or chemicals, gas, oil that’s released out into the gulf and it attaches to these nurdles, then that’s not good for us to have in our bodies." Julianna Washburn/HPMA volunteer holds the nurdles they collected at a beach cleanup in Galveston on Nov. 7, 2025.Steinhaus said environmental groups across Texas, along with charter boat captains and businesses, have called on Gov. Greg Abbott to direct the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to include nurdles in its updated surface water quality standards, a process that is expected to be finalized in 2026. "That would give [the facilities] some regulations, some push if there’s a discharge, if there’s a train spill or a truck spill," Steinhaus said. At its Oct. 23 meeting, the Galveston City Council unanimously passed a resolution calling upon the state to enact policies to protect the city from plastic pellets and other forms of pre-production plastic pollution. Only one day before the beach cleanup, however, Abbott announced that Formosa Plastics will open a new facility in Jackson County, near the Matagorda Bay, located southwest of Galveston. "Texas leads the nation in chemical production and exports," Abbott said in the news release. "This $150 million investment by Formosa Plastics will grow good-paying jobs for Texans, expand economic opportunity in Jackson County, and further our state's manufacturing leadership." In 2017, a lawsuit was filed against Formosa Plastics, with claims that the company violated the Clean Water Act by discharging nurdles into the bay at its Point Comfort facility. The lawsuit was settled, and Formosa Plastics agreed to prevent the further discharge of plastics. Steinhaus said she thought the announcement of a new facility was unfortunate, since it will add to the number of existing plastic-producing facilities. "We don’t need more, we need less,” Steinhaus said. “We can’t recycle our way. We need to stop our consumption of plastic because there’s so much plastic in the world." Abbott and Formosa Plastics did not respond to a request for comment on nurdle production regulations.

Business
Chemicals
Pollution

Cane toads are hopping towards the Pilbara, but a water-free containment zone could stop them

Cane toads will reach Broome in the next couple of years. Creating a waterless “containment zone” is the only way to stop them pillaging the Pilbara.

It is early evening in Australia’s top end, and a hunter stalks its prey. Keenly alert, the northern quoll follows the sound of rustling in the leaf litter. It must be some kind of frog, the small carnivorous marsupial decides, and pounces. But the quoll is seized by an immediate pain in the mouth, and drops its prey. It’s already too late. The rustling was not a frog, but a poisonous cane toad. The toad’s toxin has sprayed into the quoll’s mouth and within seconds the quoll is vomiting. Within minutes it is incapacitated and spasming as its heart fails. And 20 minutes later the quoll is dead. This scene has played out countless times in the 90 years since invasive cane toads were released on the Queensland coast and hopped west to Australia’s tropical north. They were originally native to South America, and brought to Australia to control beetle pests in sugarcane. And they kill not only quolls and their kin, but other predators such as freshwater crocodiles, goannas, and snakes. What do we have to lose? The cane toad is one of Australia’s worst feral animal invaders. They have nearly completed their conquest of northern Australia and in the next couple of years they are expected to reach Broome on the west coast, and head south. Our work shows that without intervention, the destruction will continue, as toads invade Australia’s unique Pilbara region in the north of western Australia. The Pilbara is an ancient rocky landscape, with some of the oldest geology in the world. Many species are found here and nowhere else. With abundant waterholes and rivers in stunning rocky gorges, the Pilbara would be perfect habitat for cane toads. Our research outlines what will happen if toads arrive in this unique landscape. It finds that with no intervention, cane toads will likely invade a further 27 million hectares, including almost all of the Pilbara, and spread further south towards Shark Bay. A blow to animals and culture Cane toads arriving in the Pilbara would cause populations of about 25 species of reptiles and mammals to crash in numbers. These include ten species of goanna, nine small marsupial predators like the Kaluta and northern quoll, three snakes, two blue-tongue skinks and one bat. For endangered northern quolls and vulnerable ghost bats, the Pilbara is the last toad-free stronghold. Several endemic goannas, blue tongue skinks and marsupial predators will likely join the threatened species list. Many of these species are culturally important to the Traditional Owners of Country for stories, songlines and bush tucker. Toad invasion of the Northern Territory, for example, led to lost bush tucker such as goanna, crocodile, blue-tongue skink. It also meant increased reliance on store-bought food, and a loss of skills and knowledge around hunting activities where Elders spent time with younger generations. Overall, it’s a bleak prospect if toads spread into the Pilbara. The good news is that there is an opportunity to avoid this future. A wicked problem Many people have attempted to solve the cane toad problem, via cracking its genetic code, teaching native animals not to eat toads and even putting the creautres on the menu. None of these methods have stopped the toad invasion across the tropical north of Australia. There has simply been too much permanent water in the landscape that toads use as habitat. But the situation is not the same in Western Australia. South of Broome, toads will hit a natural “bottleneck” where the Great Sandy Desert meets the ocean, on Karajarri and Nyangumarta country. This narrow stretch of naturally dry country represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to halt the toads’ progress further down the west coast. Plumbing, not rocket science Water is the toads’ Achilles heel. In the dry season, toads must sit in water every two to four days to stay alive. In the bottleneck between the Kimberley and the Pilbara, almost all permanent water sources are human made. And these create a connected watery tendril for invasion. Making these water sources inaccessible to toads by creating a “Toad Containment Zone” means toads cannot use these as stepping stones through this dry part of the country. A collective of scientists, pastoralists and Traditional Owners has proposed to create this zone by toad-proofing cattle water sources (by upgrading ground-level water sources to tanks and troughs) in a 150 kilometre long by 50 kilometre wide stretch of country. This solution would create a “toad fire-break”. The containment zone covers three times the distance that toads travel each year, so every wet season toads will infiltrate the north of the zone but as the water dries up, they will perish in the dry season. Bang for buck Effective containment would prevent toads from accessing the water-abundant Pilbara and beyond, protecting 27 million hectares of Western Australia. This is not a new idea – it’s been subject to 15 years of scientific rigour that shows preventing toads accessing water is the most effective way to stop them. It’s also one of the cheapest solutions: managing pest species after they have established is expensive and ineffective, and we are much better off preventing their spread. Judy Dunlop receives funding from Rio Tinto, BHP, Western Australia's Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, and the Skip Foundation.Ben Phillips receives funding from the Skip Foundation, the Australian Research Council, the WA Department of Energy and Economic Diversification, BHP Social Investments. Tim Dempster receives funding from the WA Department of Energy and Economic Diversification, The Hermon Slade Foundation, and the Skip Foundation.

Water
Animals
Energy

Hello Houston (November 10, 2025)

Today: We discuss the United States' declining immigrant population, talk with legendary trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, learn about the award-winning film “Charliebird,” and much more.

Hello Houston Today: We discuss the United States’ declining immigrant population, talk with legendary trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, learn about the award-winning film “Charliebird,” and much more. Hello Houston: Where Houston Talks!On today's Hello Houston, we begin the show by talking with University of Houston political science professor and Party Politics co-host Brandon Rottinghaus, who discusses a possible end to the government shutdown, U.S. Rep. Al Green announcing he’s running for Texas's 18th Congressional District, and more. In the show's first hour, the Baker Institute's Bill King discusses the shrinking immigrant population in the U.S. and what impact this could have on America's economic outlook. Also, legendary trumpeter Wynton Marsalis tells us about his upcoming concert at the Hobby Center with the acclaimed Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Then, Ernie, Celeste, and Frank kick off the second hour of the show by discussing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's lawsuit against Galveston ISD for refusing to display the Ten Commandments inside its school's classrooms. Plus, we hear from Daniel Cohan, a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University, who discusses the United States' lack of participation in the COP30 climate summit in Brazil, and Samantha Smart, the writer and star of the award-winning film Charliebird, joins us to tell us more about the film, which was filmed in the Houston area.  

Climate
Government
Science

I discovered a new Australian native bee, but there are still hundreds we need to identify

The discovery of a horned native bee that pollinates a rare plant highlights how little we know about Australian pollinators.

The female of the species has devil-like black horns, and a taste for extremely rare pollen. But until now, this Australian native bee has never been officially named or identified. My discovery of Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer, underscores the lack of knowledge and investment in Australia’s unique native bees. Whilst considerable funding and attention has been focused on the introduced European honey bee, Apis mellifera, there are still hundreds of native bees that are yet to be identified and named. How was this bee found? This fascinating new megachile (or leaf cutter) bee was first discovered while on a surveying trip in the Bremer Ranges in the goldfields region of Western Australia in 2019. I was conducting surveys for pollinators – such as bees, other insects, flies and wasps – of a critically endangered plant called Bremer marianthus, or Marianthus aquilonaris, which is only known in this region. Sadly, as is common for many threatened plant species, the pollinators for this straggly shrub with blue-tinged white flowers were completely unknown. One of the native bees collected on this visit immediately caught my attention because the female had large devil-like horns protruding from her clypeus – the broad plate on the front of a bee’s head. When I investigated, it was clear this wasn’t a species that had been found before. Whilst some native bees have horns or prongs, none have the large and slightly curved horns of this one. Comparing it with museum specimens, along with DNA barcoding, confirmed this species was new to collectors and to science. DNA barcoding also revealed a male native bee I had collected at the site was her partner, but he lacked horns. This is the opposite of the situation in much of the animal kingdom, where the males are more likely to be amoured. Bringer of light When you discover a new species, you have the honour of choosing a name. The first new species of native bee I “described” (or scientifically identified) in 2022, Leioproctus zephyr, is named after my dog, Zephyr. For this new species, the horns meant the name Lucifer was a perfect choice. Lucifer is also Latin for “light bringer”, and I hope this new species brings to light the wonders of our native bees. Australia has more than 2,000 species of native bees. They help keep our ecosystems healthy and play a crucial role in pollinating wildflowers. We need to understand native bees This new native bee, Megachile lucifer, is only one of an estimated 500 native bees that are not described. Far more attention has been given to the introduced European honey bee Apis mellifera. Whilst the honey bee is important for crop pollination, this species is not threatened, and can in fact harm our native bees. The truth is honeybees compete with native animals for food and habitat, disrupt native pollination systems and pose a serious biosecurity threat to our honey and pollination industries. Currently, there no requirement to survey for native bees in areas about to be mined, farmed or developed. Even if they are found, any species that has not been officially identified it has no conservation standing, which is one reason why taxonomic research is so important. Protect the pollinators Megachile lucifer was collected on a flowering mallee plant that attracted thousands of native bees and other insects. In subsequent years of surveying this site, the mallee was not flowering, Megachile lucifer was not seen, and far fewer insects were recorded. With no monitoring of native bees, we also don’t know how their populations are faring in response to threatening processes, like climate change. More interest and investment into the taxonomy, conservation and ecology of native bees, means we can protect both them and the rare and precious plants they pollinate. Kit Prendergast received funding from the Atlas of Living Australia, with a Biodiversity Mobilisation Grant and Goldfields Environmental Management Group Grant. The surveys were conducted as an ecological consultant, subcontracted to Botanica Consulting, who were commissioned by Audalia Resources Limited.

Animals
Climate
Conservation

International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change COP 30 Opening Plenary Statement

COP 30 Opening Plenary Statement International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate ChangeCOP 30 Opening Plenary Statement Belém do Para, Brazil  November 10, 2025   Respectful Greetings [in Indigenous language of presenter] We celebrate this first COP held in the Amazon. However, the lack of commitment and ambition from Parties has brought us to irreversible tipping […] The post International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change COP 30 Opening Plenary Statement first appeared on Indigenous Environmental Network.

COP 30 Opening Plenary Statement International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate ChangeCOP 30 Opening Plenary Statement Belém do Para, Brazil  November 10, 2025   Respectful Greetings [in Indigenous language of presenter] We celebrate this first COP held in the Amazon. However, the lack of commitment and ambition from Parties has brought us to irreversible tipping […] The post International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change COP 30 Opening Plenary Statement first appeared on Indigenous Environmental Network.

Climate
Indigenous

New York approves controversial gas pipeline

The state of New York has approved a contentious natural gas pipeline that is expected to bring fuel to New York City residents but is drawing fire from some Democrats. On Friday, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued a permit allowing for the construction of the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline. This vessel would bring...

The state of New York has approved a contentious natural gas pipeline that is expected to bring fuel to New York City residents but is drawing fire from some Democrats. On Friday, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued a permit allowing for the construction of the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline. This vessel would bring gas from Pennsylvania to Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island.  In a written statement, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) cited the state's energy needs and said it is taking an “all-of-the-above” approach.  “As Governor, a top priority is making sure the lights and heat stay on for all New Yorkers as we face potential energy shortages downstate as soon as next summer,” Hochul said.   “And while I have expressed an openness to natural gas, I have also been crystal clear that all proposed projects must be reviewed impartially by the required agencies to determine compliance with state and federal laws. I am comfortable that in approving the permits, including a water quality certification, for the NESE application, the DEC did just that,” she added.  The decision comes after New York’s grid operator recently warned that the state could soon face reliability challenges.  The permit’s approval move met with pushback from some Democrats in the state.  “I am profoundly disappointed by New York State’s decision to approve the proposed Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) fracked-gas pipeline. This project was rejected three times in the past for failing to meet the state’s own water-quality standards, and nothing about the project has changed,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) in a written statement.  "The NESE pipeline will cut through sensitive marine ecosystems off Staten Island and the Rockaway Peninsula, potentially dredging up contaminated sediments that contain arsenic, mercury, lead, and PCBs. It threatens coastal economies that depend on clean water, recreation, and tourism, while exposing nearby communities to unnecessary health and safety risks,” he added.  A group of 17 New York Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, recently wrote a letter to the governor and DEC commissioner expressing “concern” about the pipeline. The state’s decision comes after Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said earlier this year that Hochul expressed “willingness to move forward on critical pipeline capacity.”  That comment came as Hochul announced that she was able to save an offshore wind project by working with the Trump administration.   However, her office said at the time that “no deal on any natural gas pipeline was reached.” The permit approval comes after the state rejected the pipeline in 2020.  It said in a letter accompanying the new approval that while New York usually requires six feet of depth for pipelines in its waters, it has now determined that four feet is acceptable for this project. “The basis for this determination is such a depth further minimizes total suspended sediment, as well as the absence along the Project route of (i) electromagnetic fields associated with high voltage transmission cables and (ii) seafloor areas heavily fished by bottomtending fishing gear,” it said.  The pipeline is expected to run through New Jersey, as well as the Raritan Bay and Lower New York Bay to approximately three miles off the coast of Queens’s Rockaway Peninsula.

Conservation
Energy
Water

Scientists Are Releasing the Lovingly Nicknamed 'Snot Otters' Into Ohio Waterways in a Big Success for Conservation

Eastern hellbenders, the largest amphibians in North America, are in trouble, but conservationists are hard at work to help the wrinkled wonders survive

Scientists Are Releasing the Lovingly Nicknamed ‘Snot Otters’ Into Ohio Waterways in a Big Success for Conservation Eastern hellbenders, the largest amphibians in North America, are in trouble, but conservationists are hard at work to help the wrinkled wonders survive Sarah Kuta - Daily Correspondent November 10, 2025 11:20 a.m. Eastern hellbenders are known as "snot otters" because they're covered in a slimy, protective coating. Grahm S. Jones / Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Eastern hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) are unusual creatures. These elusive amphibians can grow up to two feet long, making them the largest salamanders in North America. They breathe exclusively through their wrinkly skin, and are covered in a slimy, protective goo that has earned them the nickname “snot otter.” They’re also in trouble. Their numbers are declining throughout much of their range in the eastern United States, and federal officials say they’ve already gone extinct in some areas. This summer, however, the species got a boost when biologists let loose 116 juveniles into protected waterways in eastern Ohio. Fun Fact: Hellbender or mudpuppy? Despite a distinctive look and name, Eastern hellbenders can easily be confused with another colorfully-named American river salamander, the mudpuppy. Here's how to distinguish the two, per Purdue University's "Help the Hellbender" project: Hellbenders lack gills as adults and have wrinkles, unliked their smooth, gilled counterparts. The release, announced in early October, was part of a state-wide recovery effort called the Ohio Hellbender Partnership, involving the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, The Wilds, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio State University and other collaborators. Since 2012, the partners have reintroduced more than 2,000 captive-raised eastern hellbenders in Ohio—and, so far, their work seems to be paying off. In 2023, researchers discovered that the lab-reared critters were reproducing in the wild, a milestone that has them feeling more optimistic about the species’ future in the state. “This is quiet work that adds up,” says Greg Lipps, a conservation biologist at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium working on the project, in the statement. “One stream, one release, one more sign that clean water and wildlife can thrive together in our community.” Researchers released more than 100 eastern hellbenders in Ohio this summer. Grahm S. Jones / Columbus Zoo and Aquarium As part of the project, researchers also recently installed 30 additional “hellbender huts,” adding to the more than 100 they’ve already positioned in Ohio’s waterways. These manmade dwellings, crafted from concrete, give the salamanders safe places to hide out and lay their eggs. They also make it easier for scientists to keep tabs on the animals and their offspring, according to the zoo, even when the water is murky. While placing the new structures, researchers discovered that eastern hellbenders had taken up residence in 19 of the pre-existing huts. The salamanders even laid eggs in two of them. In addition, scientists gathered more than 2,000 eggs from three nests, some of which are being used to help the creatures rebound in neighboring Indiana. Eastern hellbender recovery efforts hinge primarily on a conservation technique known as “headstarting,” in which biologists temporarily raise young animals in captivity before releasing them into the wild. This approach is meant to give animals a “head start” on life, since they’re protected from predators and disease when they are at their youngest and most vulnerable. Scientists have used headstarting to help the large salamanders for more than a decade. They gather eggs from the species’ native range, bring them back to a lab and hand-rear the juveniles until they’re robust enough to survive in rivers and streams. They tag the youngsters to keep an eye on them after they’ve been released. Eastern hellbenders need fresh, clear water to thrive, so the work also involves partners focused on cleaning up Ohio’s waterways. The salamanders are an indicator species, meaning their numbers can serve as a proxy for environmental health. Healthy eastern hellbender populations mean healthy streams—good news for lots of other animals, including humans. Researchers have long known that habitat issues are driving the species’ decline. Recently, a Kentucky-based team zeroed in on sedimentation—the accumulation of fine sediment—as a major environmental threat. Mud Devil, Allegheny Alligator, Water Dog, Walking Catfish, Old Lasagna Sides, Snot Otter ... In a study published in August in the journal Freshwater Ecology, scientists explain how fine sediment like silt and grain fills in the crevices beneath rocks where eastern hellbenders like to lay their eggs. It also packs the small spaces that larvae use for shelter. The researchers say the findings provide a straightforward, environmental roadmap for conservationists who want to help the eastern hellbenders make a comeback. “First, keep sediment out of streams,” says study co-author Steven Price, an ecologist at the University of Kentucky, in a statement. “Then protect and rebuild rocky beds and forested streambanks. That’s how we give this species a chance.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Conservation
Water
Extinction

Multiple Sclerosis Explained: Symptoms, Risk Factors & How It’s Treated

By Dr. Aaron Bower, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine HealthDay ReporterMONDAY, Nov. 10, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Multiple...

MONDAY, Nov. 10, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common autoimmune diseases affecting the brain and spinal cord, with 2.9 million people estimated to be living with the disease worldwide.As MS is an autoimmune disease, damage is caused by inappropriate actions of the body’s infection-fighting (immune) cells. The damage typically involves myelin, the outer covering of the cells that reside in the brain and spinal cord. This impedes the electrical signals necessary for the brain and spine to function properly.The damage can lead to both sudden “flares” of inflammation and a slow worsening of symptoms over time. Historically, MS has been broken down into specific subtypes, as detailed below. But the reality of the disease may be better understood as a spectrum that likely started even before symptoms were noticed.Relapsing and remitting MS is:The most common subtype (85% of cases)  Characterized by flares of inflammation, known as “relapses” Separated by periods, known as “remissions,” when patients feel relatively normal  Primary progressive MS is: The less common subtype (10% to 15% of cases)  Characterized by consistent worsening of symptoms over months to years  Not characterized with clear “flares” or periods of stability  Secondary progressive MS: Initially follows a course like that of relapsing and remitting MS  Evolves over time, with patients noting a consistent worsening of symptoms in the absence of any clear “flares” What are the symptoms of multiple sclerosis? Since MS can affect any part of the brain or spinal cord, patients can present with a wide variety of symptoms, depending on where the damage has taken place.In patients with the most common subtype, relapsing and remitting, these symptoms will typically come on over days and improve over weeks to months.Common initial symptoms include: Painful loss or blurred vision Double vision  Face drooping on one side   Slurring words  Room-spinning dizziness and unsteadiness  Weakness in arms and/or legs  Numbness and tingling in arms and/or legs Difficulty with fine motor tasks (such as typing, buttoning a shirt and eating) Difficulty walking, possibly leading to falls  Electric shock-like sensation down the spine when touching chin to chest (“Lhermitte’s sign”)  Tight, squeezing sensation around the chest or belly (“MS hug”) What are the causes and risk factors of multiple sclerosis? There is no single cause of multiple sclerosis. It likely results from interactions between genetic and environmental risk factors. How is multiple sclerosis diagnosed? A diagnosis of MS generally requires a doctor to pursue several different tests during the initial evaluation. These tests help rule out other possible causes and provide evidence that supports a diagnosis of MS. Blood work To look for evidence of other diseases (including infection, inflammation, vitamin deficiencies, for example) Imaging: MRI of the brain and spine  Procedure: Lumbar puncture  A neurologist may also recommend evaluations by additional medical providers. This can include an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) who can look for evidence of MS affecting the optic nerve that connects the eye to the brain.This can be achieved through non-invasive testing, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT), which examines the thickness of the nerves at the back of the eye, or visual evoked potentials (VEPs), which assess the function of the optic nerve.How is multiple sclerosis treated? MS treatment is provided on two fronts: 1) Treatment of active inflammation. 2) Prevention of new inflammation and damage to the brain and spine. If a patient is having active inflammation due to MS (“flare”), a provider will typically recommend treatment with steroids. Steroids quickly reduce inflammation in the body to speed recovery. This is generally administered by IV infusion over three to five days.To avoid recurrent “flares” and the side effects of frequent steroid use, however, the key to MS treatment is prevention.Preventive medications in MS are referred to as disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). These medications should be started as early as possible to limit damage to the brain and spine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved many DMTs for relapsing-remitting MS. Each medication can vary in effectiveness, side effects and how it is administered (pills, injections or infusions). Ultimately, the choice of treatment is an individualized discussion between the patient and provider. There are fewer options for secondary and primary progressive MS. A single medication (Ocrevus) is currently FDA-approved to treat this subtype of MS.What is it like living with multiple sclerosis? Living with MS has changed dramatically as more effective treatments have been developed, with patients generally acquiring less disability and limitations over time.However, many people with MS can continue to struggle with “day-to-day” symptoms that require additional treatment. Possible “day-to-day” symptoms include: . Fatigue  Slowed processing speed and memory impairments  Issues with mood (depression, anxiety)  Problems with urination and bowel movements  Tingling and burning sensations  Muscle tightness and cramping  Walking difficulties and instability  Heat intolerance  Given the variety of symptoms one can face with MS, a patient’s neurologist will work with other medical providers to optimize care.Additional team members could include physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, physiatrists, mental health care providers, and specialists in the areas of eye, bladder, GI and sleep.Together, the health care team will work with the patient to prevent and treat the complications of MS, allowing patients to live life as they want.Dr. Aaron Bower is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Yale School of Medicine. He is a board-certified neurologist and completed fellowship training in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology. He specializes in treating patients with inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system such as Multiple sclerosis, Neuromyelitis Optica, Autoimmune encephalitis, MOG-associated disease, and the neurologic sequelae of systemic Rheumatologic disease.Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Health
Food

Jailed climate activist facing deportation from UK fights ‘crazy double punishment’

Marcus Decker is supported by climate experts, religious leaders and celebrities as he fights being first person in UK to be ‘deported for peaceful protest’A climate activist who is appealing against his deportation after serving one of the longest prison sentences in modern British history for peaceful protest has criticised his “crazy double punishment”.Marcus Decker was jailed for two years and seven months for a protest in which he climbed the Queen Elizabeth Bridge over the Dartford Crossing and unveiled a Just Stop Oil banner in October 2022. Continue reading...

A climate activist who is appealing against his deportation after serving one of the longest prison sentences in modern British history for peaceful protest has criticised his “crazy double punishment”.Marcus Decker was jailed for two years and seven months for a protest in which he climbed the Queen Elizabeth Bridge over the Dartford Crossing and unveiled a Just Stop Oil banner in October 2022.The 36-year-old German national, who was released from prison in February last year after serving 16 months, was sent a letter by the Home Office while in prison informing him of his automatic deportation. In his legal challenge, being heard at a tribunal in central London on Monday, Decker has the support of climate experts, religious leaders, celebrities and members of the public.“I would be the first person in this country to be deported for peaceful protest,” he said. “It’s such a crazy double punishment. I have my established life here with my partner, Holly, and the kids [he is stepfather to her two children], we’ve been living together for many years.“We’re in the middle of a multi[faceted] crisis. There’s an inequality crisis, the situation for immigrants has been getting so much worse since Labour has come in, and the climate crisis is getting worse by the day, which, of course, was the reason I took this action in the first place.“It sort of makes sense to be in this situation where I can communicate the values around care that made us take this action in the first place and that need to carry on in this society.”Decker, a teacher and musician, was released from prison in February 2024 after having served 16 months but still has an ankle tag, must report to the Home Office every other week and cannot leave the country. Because he began the appeal against deportation while in prison he served longer than his fellow protester, Morgan Trowland, despite Trowland having been given a longer three-year jail term.“I’m very sorry for those that were impacted by the harm that we caused directly on the day or on the two days,” said Decker. “The people that missed funerals or missed hospital appointments, who were stuck in traffic, that is real harm. But then at the same time whole countries are either on fire, or a third of Pakistan was underwater that year in 2022, London had for the first time experienced 40C heat. If you put it in the greater perspective, zoom out, then we have to keep trying different approaches to addressing these crises, to make change for the greater good.”Decker lauded the “incredible” support he has had in his fight against deportation, which has included a 10-page letter sent to the UK government by the UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders, Michel Forst, a letter signed by 22 Nobel prize laureates and support from 562 actors, musicians and other artists. Much of it is being presented in evidence at his appeal.Lord Hain, the former cabinet minister who was a leader of the anti-apartheid movement during the 1970s and 1980s, said: “It is difficult to see how the further step of deportation can be justified. That seems to me to cross a line and become unnecessarily punitive.”The former chief scientific adviser to the UK government, Sir David King, described the action by Decker and Trowland as a “reasonable and proportionate response in light of the escalating climate crisis”, while the actor Juliet Stevenson said Decker was a father figure to Holly Cullen-Davies’s children, and that his removal “would do them untold harm and cause unnecessary anguish and abandonment”.The former archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said: “Deportation will reinforce the growing perception that environmental activism at the moment attracts excessively punitive sentencing and assimilates activists to terrorists.”The tribunal’s decision is expected at a later date. The Home Office has been approached for comment.

Activism
Climate
Government

My father, Ken Saro-Wiwa, died fighting for a clean Nigeria. Thirty years on it’s time to stop sucking on the dirty teat of the oil cash cow | Noo Saro-Wiwa

In 1995, as one of the Ogoni Nine, he was hanged after protesting against Shell’s oil pollution. With education and a move towards renewable energy, we can honour his legacyEarlier this year, my father, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and his eight colleagues, known collectively as the Ogoni Nine, were pardoned for a crime they never committed. After peacefully campaigning against environmental degradation of Ogoniland in Nigeria at the hands of the oil industry, they were imprisoned by the military dictatorship on false charges of treason and incitement to murder, following a trial condemned by the international community as a sham.On 10 November 1995, the men were executed by hanging. Continue reading...

Earlier this year, my father, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and his eight colleagues, known collectively as the Ogoni Nine, were pardoned for a crime they never committed. After peacefully campaigning against environmental degradation of Ogoniland in Nigeria at the hands of the oil industry, they were imprisoned by the military dictatorship on false charges of treason and incitement to murder, following a trial condemned by the international community as a sham.On 10 November 1995, the men were executed by hanging.Thirty years on, the government of President Bola Tinubu granted a pardon to the Ogoni Nine. While our families welcome this as a step in the right direction, it is not enough – a pardon suggests that these nine innocent men committed a crime. Although the court of public opinion recognises their innocence and courage, it is important that they are officially exonerated. The refusal of successive governments to do this speaks volumes. It speaks of a corrupt cabal that has ruled Nigeria directly and indirectly over the past few decades and continues to stifle any attempt to honour my father’s memory.But that legacy can never be suppressed. Ken Saro-Wiwa and thousands of brave Ogoni protesters ensured that Shell Oil pulled out of Ogoniland in 1993. Since then, the multinational has been held to account for some of its environmental damage and was ordered to pay compensation for oil spills including the disaster in Bodo in 2008. Shell subsequently divested from the Niger delta earlier this year and sold its onshore leases to a local consortium (which raises further concerns about their liability for past oil spills). My father’s death led to the creation of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (Hyprep), which continues its task of cleaning up the hydrocarbon pollution in Ogoniland, albeit with mixed results.Pollution levels are still unacceptably high. Militancy, the sabotaging of pipelines and illegal refining have further damaged the environment, and now, high unemployment and the cost of living crisis have compelled some Ogonis to call for the resumption of oil extraction. While I fully sympathise with their wishes, welcoming back the oil companies would be an insult to my father’s memory and a huge step backwards. The industry, even if properly managed, is not labour intensive and it benefits a relative few. Its continued extraction elsewhere in the delta offers a cautionary tale. Last year, I drove through the Obrikom oil and gas field, about 50 miles (80km) northwest of Ogoniland, where I saw crude petroleum gushing furiously from a broken pipe and into a river. The sight of that blackened water was horrifying. That the pipeline wasn’t fixed for months was even more appalling.Activists from Extinction Rebellion protest outside the Shell Centre on the 25th anniversary of the execution of the Ogoni Nine, 10 November 2020 in London, UK. Photograph: Mark Kerrison/In Pictures/Getty ImagesIronically, I witnessed that leak while on my way to visit a renewable energy project that I was involved with as a consultant. A solar power plant has now been installed in Umuolu, enabling the remote riverine community to rely entirely on clean energy. There are no oil spills and no tensions about who will be employed by the energy company. Residents fish and farm the land, which is how it should be. Why suck on the dirty teat of the petroleum cash cow when we have incredible natural assets? In September, I visited a conservation project, the SW/Niger Delta Forest Project, where Rachel Ashegbofe Ikemeh and her team are doing a sterling job of conserving a slice of the Apoi Creek, a primary rainforest that is home to the last most-significant population of the Niger Delta red colobus monkey, bush pigs, the African pied hornbill, water chevrotains, the mangabey and other species. The forest is a glimpse into our beautiful ecological past and a preview of what could be regained under the right stewardship. Ikemeh’s team have successfully educated the Apoi community about protecting the forest and its wildlife rather than eating it.My father understood that our wealth lies in our ecology and in education, and that we could one day move away from oilIt is an education sorely needed elsewhere in the region. Just a few weeks ago, on an Ogoni Facebook group page, I saw a photo of a live giant leatherback turtle that had been dragged into a village after washing up on shore. I was amazed and excited, yet in the comment section people discussed whether it should be eaten or not. Meanwhile, in places such as Tobago and Costa Rica, tourists pay thousands of dollars to come and see turtles like that. The animal’s appearance on our shores, though rare, proves that wildlife still exists in the Niger delta’s lushly vegetated creeks, rivers and beaches. Accommodating nature and farming is a huge conundrum, of course, but there’s an economy that can be created by leveraging our natural assets. Crucially, it requires moving towards non-polluting, renewable energy that can power our small businesses cleanly and reliably, and boost the economy.My father understood that our wealth lies in our ecology and in education, and that we could one day move away from oil, especially if it enriches everyone else at the Ogonis’ expense. I remember him showing me and my siblings around the garden in our house in Port Harcourt, teaching us about the flowers and the fireflies. Through the Ken Saro-Wiwa Foundation, which will relaunch in the coming months, I hope we can boost education and bring solar energy to Ogoniland and gradually transform it into a place of non-oil entrepreneurship, agriculture and natural beauty that will honour my father’s legacy.Noo Saro-Wiwa is the author of Looking For Transwonderland (Granta) and Black Ghosts: A Journey Into the Lives of Africans In China (Canongate)A Month And A Day: A Detention Diary, by Ken Saro-Wiwa, is published by Ayebia Clarke Publishing

Education
Energy
Pollution

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