Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG update

Only just 46% of Irish Water clients have paid their bill

   

Irish Water is expected to announce today that less than half of its customers have paid water charges.

Just 46% of households who must pay have done so, the company will say, almost eight months to the day since the Coalition announced the revised flat-rate charging scheme.

Government sources confirmed the figures yesterday and said the board of Irish Water was being notified of the payments before they are announced by the semi-state company today.

“They are quite good given the opposition to the charges,” said a Government source. “They will climb substantially with the new measures coming in too. The problem is a lot of people leave it until the last minute.”

Households were given until the end of June to register with Irish Water to be allowed apply for conservation grants, which will be given to customers in September. Under the revised charging structure announced by the Government last November, single adult households in receipt of the grant will pay a maximum €60 a year while multi-adult residences must pay €160 a year.

However, there is no official deadline for when households must pay their bills. Under legislation passed by the Coalition last week, customers cannot be taken to court and forced to pay their charges until at least seven unpaid bills have passed — by which time it would be 2017.

People must have unpaid water bills of at least €500 before they are taken to court for debts to be deducted from salary, welfare or pensions.

In May, the Irish Examiner revealed the average rate of registration up until February was 69%, with 10 of 26 counties having registration rates above 75%.

As of last month, more than 1.3m people had registered with Irish Water. It is expected the company will today say that 1m of these are customers who are required to pay charges. The rest include households which, while not paying for charges because they are on water schemes or have their own wells, will be entitled to the conservation grants. This means 540,000 households, having registered as customers, have yet to pay charges.

Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy said he and colleagues had tried six times over two months to obtain figures from Irish Water about the numbers who had paid their bills.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny surprised the Dublin TD when the Fine Gael leader said that Irish Water would reveal the data today. A Government spokesman said the Cabinet did not discuss the figures at its weekly meeting yesterday.

Irish Water refused to answer questions on the payment figures last night and would only say they would be released today.

The first billing cycle for Irish Water has just finished after bills for the first quarter of the year were delivered between April and last month. It is understood the board of Ervia, Irish Water’s parent firm, is aware of the level of payments.

The Government came under pressure in recent weeks to publish the payment figures after introducing sanctions or compliance measures to force tenants to pay charges and deduct people’s wages or dole if bills remain unpaid.

Anti-water charge campaigners are expected to use the low payment levels to criticise Irish Water and raise questions about whether the project has worked.

Meanwhile, the Right2Water campaign has announced proposals for a further national demonstration against water charges on August 29. “It’s very clear this government believes the water charges issue has gone away,” the group said in a statement. “We’re saying very firmly that it hasn’t and this will be the biggest issue when it comes to the next general election.”

The payment rates may also raise questions as to whether Irish Water will pass a Eurostat test this year as an independent entity

No qualified pancreas transplant surgeon available in Ireland

SEANAD ASKS LEO TO EXPLAIN?

Health Minister Leo Varadkar forced to appear before Seanad tonight to explain the issue.

  

Leo Varadkar and Surgeon David Hikey now retired.

The Government suffered two defeats in the Seanad today.

Coalition senators were outvoted by the Opposition who demanded that Health Minister Leo Varadkar appear to discuss the issue of pancreas transplants.

The Government was defeated by 24 to 23 following a Fianna Fáil motion tabled by Kerry senator Mark Daly.

Fianna Fáil Seanad leader Darragh O’Brien told the Upper House: “We have been trying to get answers from Minister for Health Leo Varadkar, for some time now, on behalf of patients whose lives are at risk, as Ireland remains without any surgeon qualified to carry out pancreas transplants.’’

Mr Varadkar was forced to then appear at 9pm tonight to discuss the issue.

Later, a Fianna Fáil motion calling for a reversal of cuts to lone parents was passed.

A Fine Gael source said they expect further defeats in the Seanad in the coming weeks due to the Government’s minority.

IAG-Aer Lingus take-over deal cleared by the EU

  

Merged IAG-Aer Lingus will have to offer for sale five pairs of landing slots at London Gatwick.

The proposed €1.36 billion takeover of Aer Lingus by IAG, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia, has cleared its last major obstacle after the European Commission conditionally approved the deal yesterday evening.

IAG has committed to offering for sale five pairs of landing slots at London Gatwick, specifically for flights to Dublin and Belfast, to get the deal over the line. IAG has also promised the commission it will enter into agreements with IAG’s long-haul rivals to maintain route link-ups with Aer Lingus’s network.

The commission said it had concerns that the original terms of the merger would have lead to “insufficient competition on several routes”, including Dublin-London, Belfast-London and Dublin-Chicago. It said it also feared that IAG might try to prevent Aer Lingus from connecting its flights with those of IAG’s long-haul rivals. Since the deal was first notified to the commission on May 27th, however, IAG returned with specific competition remedy proposals to sway Margrethe Vestager, the competition commissioner, to rubber stamp the merger.

“By obtaining significant concessions . . . the commission has ensured that air passengers will continue to have a choice of airlines at competitive prices,” said Ms Vestager.

Under the terms of the approval, the merged IAG-Aer Lingus will have to offer for sale the five Gatwick slot pairs, although it is understood these will not necessarily be existing Aer Lingus slots. Iberia and British Airways, both owned by IAG, also own Gatwick slots. The commission has stipulated that whoever buys the slots will have to commit to use them for flights to Dublin and Belfast.

Aer Lingus and IAG confirmed to the stock market last night that at least two of the slot pairs must be used for flights to Dublin, while one must be used for Belfast. Aer Lingus shareholders are to vote tomorrow to approve measures designed to facilitate a commitment to the Government that connectivity will be maintained between Dublin and London Heathrow.

An Post seeks permission to offer customers current accounts

   

Providing banking services through post offices was recommended in a report done for Communications Minister Alex White in May.

An Post has applied for a licence to allow it to offer current accounts to customers.

The move is at an early stage, but could provide a threat to the major banks. It is understood An Post is seeking to operate full current accounts.

Taxpayer-rescued banks have reacted to the financial crash by gradually removing free banking options for householders.

Now the 1,000-plus post offices countrywide could challenge the dominance of the main banks by offering better-value current accounts.

An Post has been trying to get back into consumer banking since Belgium bank Fortis pulled out of a joint venture with it, called Postbank, in 2010.

Post offices currently offer banking services for customers of AIB and Ulster Bank.

An Post does not need a banking partner to offer current accounts – day-to-day payments servicing accounts. Providing banking services through post offices was recommended in a report done for Communications Minister Alex White in May by a committee headed up by entrepreneur Bobby Kerr.

Dail Independents launch Social Democrats political party

Group pledges to abolish water charges and repeal the eighth amendment

  

A new party called the Social Democrats has been launched by three prominent Independent TDs: Catherine Murphy from Kildare North, Wicklow’s Stephen Donnelly and Róisín Shortall who represents Dublin North West. Mary Minihan reports.

The three prominent Independent TDs who launched the Social Democrats party said they would insist on the abolition of water charges if negotiating to take part in a new government.

Catherine Murphy from Kildare North, Wicklow’s Stephen Donnelly and Róisín Shortall, who represents Dublin North West, will share the leadership of the new party until after the general election.

“If we are in a position to be negotiating a programme for government, our position is that water charges would immediately be abolished. Our position is that the public ownership of the utility would be absolutely guaranteed,” Mr Donnelly said at the launch of the party.

“Irish Water is set up for privatisation. We would immediately remove that as an option. We would immediately pause the water metering implementation.”

Mr Donnelly said his household had not paid water charges “to the best of my knowledge”.

He said his family, part of “the negative equity generation”, had moved house three times in seven months. However, he said he “probably would” pay water charges, while Ms Murphy and Ms Shortall confirmed they had not paid.

Making their announcement at the Civic Offices in Wood Quay in Dublin, the trio said they wanted to see a 2:1 investment in public services relative to tax cuts in the upcoming budget.

They were critical of the Government’s proposed 50-50 split between tax cuts and spending increases.

They also said they were committed to extending paid parental leave to move towards a system where children could be cared for at home for at least the first 12 months of their lives.

Ms Murphy said the party hoped to attract “people of conviction” to contest the election under its banner. “Our intention is to deliver a social democratic vision that is very much in the Nordic tradition,” she said.

Asked about the party’s stance on abortion, Ms Murphy said they all agreed the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution had to be repealed and replaced by legislation.

There were a variety of views in society that needed to be adequately consulted so the vast majority of people could subscribe to the legislation, she added.

Ms Shortall said the “policy-based” party hoped to contest the election in every constituency.

She said the party would make a decision about a leader after the election, when she hoped its Dáil representation would be much larger.

She said the party had done a lot of work on its proposals to enhance childcare. Quality of and access to pre-school services should be improved, she said.

The party is also proposing the establishment of “child clinics” in all communities, “so that we can practice that principle of prevention and early intervention when it comes to wellbeing, particularly in relation to children”.

Ms Shortall said nobody else had been approached to run for the party, but that would happen. She also hoped people would approach the party in the coming weeks and months.

Independent Senator Katherine Zappone, who was previously in talks with the TDs, announced last month she would contest the Dáil election as an Independent candidate in Dublin South West.

A document distributed by the party at the launch event said its key policy areas were “strong economy, open government and social vision”.

The party’s values were listed as: “progress; equality; democracy and sustainability”.

Mr Donnelly said the traditional Irish approach to planning, investment and public services was short-term. “The Irish people deserve more than this and are demanding more than this.”

There was a growing demand for better education, healthcare, jobs and society, he said.

“New vision, fresh ideas, better approaches, these are what need to be put in place and ultimately that is what today and the Social Democrats are about.”

Ms Murphy said the Social Democrats wanted to end the practice of judges being appointed by politicians.

She said they wanted to see the Official Secrets Act replaced because they believed that openness was the key to good governance.

“We’re not interested in getting into auction politics. We believe in option politics,” she said.

She said the “standard merry-go-round of scandal, inquiry and report, but no real lessons learned” had to stop. It was “corrosive and offensive” to the values of Irish people

Seaweed that tastes like bacon/rashers

  

Close up of dulse seaweed being grown and harvested at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport Oregon. Chris Langdon has been growing and studying it for decades and is now working with the Food Innovation Center in Portland on creating healthly and appealing dishes.

Oregon State University researcher Chris Langdon wasn’t looking for the next hipster snack when he started growing a special strain of seaweed 15 years ago. But he may have found it.

Dulse is a leafy red seaweed that grows along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. It’s packed with minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, and contains up to 16 percent protein by dry weight.

“The original goal was to create a super-food for abalone, because high-quality abalone is treasured, especially in Asia,” Langdon said in a statement, referring to a slug-like mollusk popular on restaurant tables in some parts of the world.

But when he tried the dulse himself, he realized it was surprisingly delicious — at least his version of it.

“In Europe, they add [dulse] powder to smoothies, or add flakes onto food,” Langdon said. “There hasn’t been a lot of interest in using it in a fresh form. But this stuff is pretty amazing. When you fry it, which I have done, it tastes like bacon, not seaweed. And it’s a pretty strong bacon flavor.”

When he brought in the marketing savvy of OSU business school teacher Chuck Toombs and the expert taste buds of research chef Jason Ball, dulse’s potential as people food floated to the surface.

“Dulse is a super-food, with twice the nutritional value of kale,” Toombs said. “And OSU had developed this variety that can be farmed, with the potential for a new industry for Oregon.”

Currently there are no commercial dulse-growing operations in the U.S. harvesting the plant for human consumption. But Langdon has patented his strain and Toombs’ MBA students are preparing a marketing plan for a new line of specialty foods.

“The dulse grows using a water recirculation system,” Langdon said. “Theoretically, you could create an industry in eastern Oregon almost as easily as you could along the coast with a bit of supplementation. You just need a modest amount of seawater and some sunshine.”   

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG

Roisin Shortall says there is a need for a new Irish party

 

Plans for a new centre-left party are believed to be close to completion amid private talks between leading Independent TDs and figures outside Leinster House.

TD Róisín Shortall last night confirmed it was still her opinion there was scope for a new centre-left party ahead of the next general election.

Amid speculation that an election could now be called as early as the autumn, sources in Leinster House suggested the former Labour minister was in private talks with Independents Stephen Donnelly and Catherine Murphy.

M/s Shortall would not confirm if she was in talks with anyone about a new party being formed.

However, she told the Irish Examiner: “There’s no doubt there is a need for a new party a new party that would espouse very clear values, that would commit to do what they have committed to do and put integrity at the centre of politics. There’s a lot of disillusionment out there. There’s a lot of people looking for positive options of who they can vote for in the next election.”

It has also emerged that Ross Maguire, co-founder of mortgage support group New Beginning, is also being lined up to act as a legal advisor for the party.

Both M/s Murphy and Mr. Donnelly did not return calls night.

It is believed the new political organisation could seek to be registered within a month.

A source familiar with the talks said: “The Dáil is fairly grim, there’s a need for political reform. There are elected and non-elected people being talked to.”

It is thought that some of the policies of the new centre-left party will focus on community issues, social justice campaigning, and political reform.

Disability burden highest for diabetics Globally

     

Across the world, India included, even as longevity has increased during the period 1990 to 2013, the number of years both men and women live with disease and disability has shot up. The major causes of disability in men and women in India are depression, anaemia, low back pain, migraine, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, age-related and other hearing loss, neck pain (spondylitis), diabetes, anxiety disorders, and uncorrected refractive error.

These are the results of a Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 report published on Monday in the journal The Lancet.

Important findings emerge from the study. “Mortality is declining faster than disease prevalence due to treatment and faster than disability, which is also increasing due to ageing.” In an accompanying Comment piece, Rifat Atun from Harvard University said: “[This] combination is driving the increase in the absolute numbers of years lived with disability and in relative terms as a proportion of total burden.”

For both sexes combined in India, the leading causes of years lived with disability have remained largely the same during the period 1990-2013. However, the disability caused by disease has taken an increased toll on health due to population growth and ageing.

“The major causes of death and disability are generally different, which has implications for planning of health services,” said Prof. Lalit Dandona, study co-author who is Professor at the Delhi-based Public Health Foundation of India and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. “While ischemic heart disease kills the most number of people in India, it is not a leading cause of disability. On the other hand, major depression is the leading cause of disability in India, but is not a direct cause of death,” he said.

Relative to the 44% growth in India’s population during the period 1990-2013, diabetes has shown the greatest increase in the disability burden. “The number of years lived with disability from diabetes per million people in India is about 55% higher in 2013 compared with 1990,” said Prof. Dandona. The total increase in the number of years lived with disability from diabetes in India during the period 1990 to 2013 is 123%. In contrast, the number of years lived with disability from anaemia per million people in India has gone down by 45%.

The number of years lived with disability per million people in India has gone up for many leading diseases from 1990 to 2013. For instance, it is 16% higher in the case of major depression, 20% higher in the case of low back pain, 26% higher in the case of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 19% higher in the case of neck pain.

Fr Joe McDonald an Irish priest asks Pope for help,

Our Church is dying he states?

    

In an open letter to Pope Francis, Fr Joe McDonald says he is ready for the battle to save the Church and Ireland’s very soul. He pleads with the pontiff, in this his ‘cry for help’, to take action to address the betrayals of the past in a bid to regain the trust of young people and to secure a future for the Church here in Ireland.

DEAR Holy Father,

Please forgive this intrusion. I realise it may be the responsibility of others to do this, but I fear they may not do so because of diplomatic convention or protocol, real or imagined, whilst others are a little tired, indeed a few even seem disheartened. For my part, I am neither tired nor disheartened, in fact, I am energised and girded for battle. A friend of mine recently remarked that it is a tough time to be a priest and I found myself asserting that it is in fact a great time to be a priest, an exciting time. I write to you from a spiritual bunker. I also write to you with a real sense of urgency, as the clock is very much against us. Every week things get worse, with opportunities lost and still more cracks of disunity appearing. I am based here on a little island on the edge of Europe where the spiritual darkness is deepening apace.

Here in Ireland we were once known as the Isle of Saints and Scholars; affectionately, at times, referred to as the Green Isle.

However, we made world news recently when we glowed pink. A large majority of our brothers and sisters voted in favour of same-sex marriage. In so far as it was a victory over discrimination and an end to the appalling treatment of homosexual people, sometimes by the Church, it was a happy day indeed. The smiles, quiet tears and at times, joyful dancing, of the young, and not so young was infectious and one could not but look at them and love them, as I have no doubt the Lord does.

I am pastor here with the faith community of St Matthew’s in West Dublin. We are a long way from the Vatican and, in some ways, we would be seen as poor, but you know, Holy Father, in the ways that matter, we are as rich as they come. Here in St Matthew’s, I meet both saints and ‘living martyrs’on a daily basis. Here, the shadow of the cross is long. Social exclusion, poverty and the ravages of addiction have taken their toll. The people here are the best, and the young people are the best of the best.

I wish you could feel their sense of social justice. I love their outrage. On a number of occasions, I have been moved to tears by this beautiful faith community, in their generosity of heart and often from their pocket as well. This is particularly evident in special collections for Syria or the tsunami, when, like the widow in the gospel, they give not of their surplus, but their core. So, as you well know, Holy Father, the Holy Spirit continues to dance, but now I must explain to you our problem and why I beg for your paternal intervention.

Holy Father, the Church in Ireland is dying. Yes, we could say it is tired, or it has lost the young, or we must find a new language, and all that is true, but the reality is that the Irish Church is gasping, heaving, in a crippling smog of secularism.

Now, some will rush to tell you about the signs of growth, and of course there are some, but the truth is, the writing is on the wall. It is only a matter of time. We are old and tired and still very clerical and, imagine this Holy Father, despite the fact that women are keeping us going, I am sorry to have to tell you, there isn’t even one diocese in the country run by a woman. Can you imagine that? Dear Pope Francis, I am sad, indeed, to tell you we have failed the people. Yes, it is true, in some ways we have failed, maybe betrayed, the older generations, but the real tragedy is we have failed the young. We have sought to hector them about how they should live rather than share the joy of our faith with them. Holy Father, I am conscious this may not get to you, as I know clericalism and careerism are both alive and well in the church, and so I will have to try a number of avenues in order to reach you. This is my first attempt. Some may draw your attention to the small number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life as signs of growth. I see the truth of this, and have huge respect for those who are responding to God’s call.

However, even here, I believe a second look is required. There seems to be the emergence of a restorationist model of church. There are those who harken back to the triumphant church of yesteryear. This is evident in the seminarians who would prefer to pray the breviary in Latin, not, I hasten to add, that there is anything wrong with this, in itself, but I have found that this longing for the past can all too often be accompanied by a lack of spiritual maturity. Worse still, this often manifests itself in a lack of compassion, which in turn wreaks havoc in pastoral ministry.

The ways in which we have failed people are too many to list here. Perhaps one topical area is worth a mention, though, that being the area of sexuality. We have made such a mess here that it is difficult to know where to begin. We are so disconnected from people in this regard that vast numbers of still-practising Catholics simply turn off when we begin to speak in this regard. We still employ the language of imperative, meanwhile failing to speak with passion and conviction about the beauty of our sexuality, or, as you have so beautifully developed for us, the joy of the Gospel. There are many other areas that illustrate the Irish church is quietly convulsing. For example, for so many of our children First Holy Communion means last communion until Confirmation, and we will not see many of our confirmed young people until they come to get married, if at all. At our gravesides, many stand in silence, sometimes there is a barely more than a mumble, even in the once-familiar territory of the rosary.

Overall, there seems to be a paralysis. We tend to talk in the abstract about what we need to do. The truth is, Holy Father we here in the Irish church are slow to learn and slower again to change. This is why I am sending up the flare into the night sky. I am hoping you will see it. I am hoping from your window you will see this cry for help streak across the sky. I hope you will see the red of the Irish martyrs, the green of our heritage, the yellow and orange of God’s Holy Breath, and the pink of recent freedoms. Yes, Holy Father I hope you will see it and that you will realise we need you. We need your courage and your care, and we need to hear your challenge to live the joy of the Gospel. So what can you do to help?

As the Successor of Peter, I am hoping you might give us a little of your attention, if, for no other reason than that we have, in the past, evangelised all over the world. In truth, we have remained faithful ‘in spite of dungeon, fire and sword’. Holy Father all that is gone, all gone except for what very soon will be a faithful remnant. Whilst I do not believe the future of the Irish church is either clerical or male, we will need your help to tackle the problem of poor leadership. We will need you to prepare quite a number of P45s, many of these for diocesan clergy, a few for male religious, less again for female religious. On the question of the P45s, I am conscious of the need to look in the mirror. The truth is I am no great shakes myself and I am very conscious that I stand in front of the people of St Matthew’s as a limping, hobbling, sort of leaking bucket of a priest. So there may well be a P45 coming down the line for me, as well, but at least that too will constitute movement. Regrettably, I fear we will probably need more than a few of these P45s for the Episcopal Conference. Perhaps you could introduce six-year terms of office for bishops?

As well as looking at leadership, I am hoping you might help us divest ourselves of about half of our schools. The urgent need of reform of the clergy cannot be affected by you, but you could give bishops a two-year deadline to have such a programme in place. We have been talking for over 20 years now about how to address fidelity, or lack of, to the sacraments. We need a two-week Irish synod. This would be led by what is left of a committed, educated, passionate laity. For the first week, we clerics could keep quiet and listen,

I mean deeply, with the heart. In the second week, there would be an opportunity for again, us clerics, to lie prostrate before the people and beg forgiveness of the gathered Church, and God, for our abuse, neglect and failure. We could make a solemn promise to make amends. This might be a good start. I believe the necessary components for recovery are not so mysterious. The ingredients are as old as the gospels themselves. We have an urgent need of conversion, silence, prayer, reform and then maybe, down the road, renewal might be possible. Of course that is largely the remit of the Holy Breath of God, the Holy Spirit.

Holy Father, I see you miss going for pizza and, as it happens I love pizza. I was wondering would it be possible that we could share a pizza, somewhere convenient to yourself, and I could elaborate a little on just how serious things are. I hope this can find its way onto your urgent to-do list, for there can be no doubt Ireland is in danger of losing her very soul.

I remain, your affectionate Brother in Christ here in St Matthew’s in Ballyfermot, Dublin,  Fr Joe McDonald

‘Six women from our Magdalene Laundries group have passed away?

It’s very upsetting’

     

Women who worked in the infamous Magdalene laundries have said that new healthcare support packages for survivors fall short of what they had been promised.

Minister for Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald announced today that the women would be able to claim a medical card and other free supports including counselling, physiotherapy and chiropody from 1 July, under the Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Bill 2014.

Fall short

But the measures fall short of recommendations made by Justice John Quirke in 2013, according to Magdalene Survivors Together, a group representing 165 survivors.

Steven O’Riordan, head of the group, said: “The biggest fear the women have is that most of their entitlements will be assessed. There is no guarantee they will receive extra benefits, as they will be assessed.”

He added: There is no provision for home help services and a direct liaison officer will not be given. All these were given under the [Health Amendment Act 1996 card]  and Justice John Quirke stated quite clearly the women should get the same.

A memorial?

The group says it is also unhappy about the delay in erecting a Magdalene memorial and museum on Dublin’s Sean McDermott Street, where the last laundry closed in 1996.

The 2013 Quirke report, which the government said it would implement, had recommended that a memorial be placed on the site.

“They seem to just want to delay everything,” Marie Slattery, a survivor of the Sean McDermott Street laundry, said. “Six women from our group have passed away… It’s upsetting.”

Compensation

Women who worked in laundries are eligible for payments of between €11,500 and €100,000 as part of the state’s scheme of ex-gratia payments.

To date, €18 million has been paid to survivors, with decisions still to be made on 86% of 776 compensation applications.

Prison officers say they’ll have to travel for hours with inmates if Portlaoise A&E closes

Ireland U20 suffer first loss of World Cup as New Zealand pull clear in second half

Eat peanuts every day helps to slash early death risk from cancer

    

Eat peanuts every day to slash early death risk from cancer.

A new study has suggested that peanuts can protect against early death from cancer and heart disease. 

The Maastricht University study found that men and women who eat at least 10g of nuts or peanuts and not peanut butter per day have a lower risk of dying from several major causes of death than people who do not consume them, News.com.au reported.

Researchers in the Netherlands said peanuts and tree nuts both contain various vitamins, fibre, antioxidants and compounds such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids that can possibly contribute to the lower death rates.

They said peanut butter contains salt and trans fatty acids that could inhibit the protective effects of peanuts.

Women who ate nuts were also often leaner, had never smoked and were less likely to report diabetes.

Lead researcher Piet van den Brandt said that a higher intake was not associated with further reduction in mortality risk.

Spring arrived in record time this year

     

Spring arrives at a speed of about 2mph, according to a study carried out by the Woodland Trust, the British Science Association and BBC Spring-watch.

The figure was calculated by analysing the timing of spring events across the UK, which showed the season is developing quicker than in the past.

More than 20,000 public records of spring events submitted to the trust’s nature’s calendar over the last four months were analysed by Professor Tim Sparks from Coventry University.

He found the average speed of the passage of spring this year was around 1.9mph, taking nearly three weeks to cover the length of the country from south to north.

To put that in perspective, 2mph is the average speed of a porcupine (some pub quiz trivia for you there).

An average of 1.2mph was recorded using data between 1891 and 1947 and 1.8mph from figures taken between 1998 and 2014.

The latest research found that the passage of spring is not directly south to north but south-west to north-east.

The speed of travel of all seven of the spring events analysed this year were:

 1. Ladybirds arriving: 6.5mph

2. Hawthorns leafing: 6.3mph

 3. Swallows arriving: 2.4mph

 4. Hawthorns flowering: 1.9mph

5. Orange tip butterflies arriving: 1.4mph

6. Oak tree leafing: 1.3mph

 7. Frogspawn: 1mph

Dr Kate Lewthwaite, the Woodland Trust’s citizen science manager, said: “The timing of the seasons is hugely important for wildlife and any long-term changes could have implications on the success or failure of a particular species.

“Without the volume of records supplied by members of the public this analysis wouldn’t be possible, so we’re hugely grateful for every single piece of information.”

Ancient DNA provides clues to migration, language and lactose tolerance

  

Advancements in modern DNA technology are providing a deeper and more refined glimpse into ancient populations, revealing timetables for human migrations, the influx of languages, and even the physical attributes of prehistoric populations.

The latest research, published this week in the journal Nature, comes from a team out of the Natural History Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen. Led by Morten Allentoft, a specialist in ancient DNA, the team sequenced the genomes of 101 individuals who lived throughout Eurasia between 3000 BC and AD 700.

This time period has been of considerable interest, mainly because of the radical cultural changes that took place, as people shifted from hunting and gathering to subsistence agriculture. The Bronze Age, which encompasses the period from 3000 BC to 1000 BC in Europe, marked the rise of urban civilization, from Greek, to Roman, to pharaonic Egypt. Thus, it is a prime target for those interested in ancient DNA.

What the sequencing showed was that prior to 3,000 B.C., the genetic makeup of the region resembled those of early farmers from the Middle East, with some evidence pointing to even earlier European hunter/gatherers. But within 1,000 years, the genomes resemble those of the Yamnaya culture, who entered the region in the early Bronze Age and interbred with individuals already living in the region.

This genetic shift had further implications. Allentoft’s team speculate that the influx of Yamnaya people may have been partly responsible for the spread of Indo-Europeanlanguages into Western Europe. But some linguists are not convinced.

“It’s pretty clear that these eastern cultures in the Bronze Age are linked to the Yamnaya,” says Pontus Skoglund, a population geneticist at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. But he believes the actual origins of all Indo-European languages — which evolved to include English, French, German, and Hindi — are far more complicated than the influx of just one group.

Ancient DNA has also revealed some of the physical traits of these early populations. In another study, DNA from 83 ancient Europeans showed mutations linked to thick hair and numerous sweat glands were common among Scandinavians as early as 7,700 years ago. These traits were originally believed to have emerged among East Asians, hinting at potential connections between these two populations. This same research showed people from the Iberian Peninsula became shorter following the shift to agriculture, whereas the Yamnaya, who migrated out of the steppe area, were taller.

Allentoft’s research also provided insight into the genes linked to lactose tolerance — the ability to digest the enzyme lactase, which is believed to have spread as people became more reliant on dairy products. But surprisingly, their research found that the trait was rare among Bronze Age Europeans. Of the 101 individuals sequenced, those making up the Yamnaya group were most likely to have the genes responsible for lactose tolerance, which indicates that these migrants may have been responsible for introducing the trait to Europe.

As DNA technology continues to improve, researchers will gain clearer insight into ancient populations — where they came from, how they lived and how they adapted to a changing world.