Plea to Aussies after 'pretty' roadside find leads to poisoning
The plant, native to Madagascar, is known for its striking red flowers that emerge every winter, however the blooms have a less than attractive side. The flowers are 'extremely toxic' to cattle, which 'often seek out alternative food sources when seasonal conditions impact pastures', a spokesperson for NSW's Local Land Services (LLS) told Yahoo News.
A case of mother-of-millions poisoning in livestock was recently identified by a LLS veterinarian near Gravesend in the state's north west, the spokesperson explained, prompting a warning from the government agency.
'Cattle are the usual victims of poisonings,' the organisation posted online, adding ingesting even a small amount can cause diarrhoea, drooling, loss in appetite and death from heart failure. Livestock poisonings occur more frequently during the cooler months when 'plants are flowering, and frosts and dry weather have reduced palatable feed'.
Invasive plant causes sudden death in livestock
Mother-of-millions is also toxic to pets — especially dogs — and humans, although incidents of poisoning in the latter are unlikely.
'While mother-of-millions poisoning is uncommon, it can cause sudden death in livestock,' the LLS spokesperson told Yahoo. 'Livestock can die quite rapidly depending on the amount ingested and they can continue to die for a number of days after removal from the source.
'Landholders are encouraged to regularly inspect their properties and learn how to identify weeds such as mother-of-millions using NSW WeedWise, and report any new weed incursions to the Local Control Authority.'
Mother-of-millions can 'spread rapidly' if it escapes gardens
Mother-of-millions, which was historically planted in gardens due to its ornamental qualities, is a declared weed in Queensland, but it's also considered a problem species in NSW and the Northern Territory, Imogen Ebsworth, the Invasive Species Council's (ISC) engagement director, told Yahoo.
'It spreads rapidly and can quickly take over natural areas if it escapes gardens,' she said. 'Because it's still legally sold and traded in many places, it's slipping under the radar — most Australians don't think of succulents as weeds.'
However, experts are taking the plant very seriously. 'It was nominated as a Weed of National Significance, which is reserved for species with the potential to cause major environmental and economic damage,' Ebsworth explained.
Following an assessment process, the species was not included. Mother-of-millions remains a weed of potential national significance and is widely distributed in the country's east. It can also be found in Victoria and parts of southern and Western Australia. It is introduced to new areas in dumped garden waste and spreads in waterways or flood events.
🌱 Council's warning as popular plant sprouts up in 'hectic' location
Aussies urged to dig up invasive plant that becomes 'very difficult to remove'
🏙️ Aussies told to check their backyards as popular plant 'infests' major city
Calls to remove toxic weed from Bunnings, nurseries
Ebsworth told Yahoo the ISC would 'love to see mother-of-millions removed from sale across the country'. 'Escaped garden plants are the primary source of new weeds in Australia,' she said, noting three-quarters of all listed weeds started out as ornamentals.
'That's not a Bunnings problem or a rogue nursery problem — it's a regulatory failure. To date, self-regulation has failed. We are relying on everyday Australians to either have a botany degree or realise they need to research legally sold plants to find out if they are a weed. That's a system designed to fail.'
In the meantime, Aussies are encouraged 'to be really careful' and refrain from tossing garden cuttings. 'Don't share or swap it, and if you need to dispose of it, bag it up securely and put it in the bin, not the compost,' Ebsworth said.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
5 hours ago
- Forbes
Can't Focus? Brain Experts Share Hacks To Cut Through Distractions
Maintaining your focus in a world riddled with distractions is tricky but possible. getty If you feel like your attention span is shrinking, you're not alone. And you're definitely not imagining it. Research by psychologist and professor at the University of California, Dr. Gloria Mark, found that in 2021, the average duration an adult could focus on a screen was just 47 seconds. That's down from 2.5 minutes in 2004—a nearly 69% drop in two decades. Not only that, Dr. Mark's research also found that it takes the brain about 25 minutes to refocus on the task at hand when our attention is disrupted. 'We live in an environment that is saturated with digital stimuli. This conditions our brains to expect constant novelty,' says clinical psychologist Dr. Holly Schiff. 'This novelty bias activates dopamine pathways—rewarding us for switching attention rather than maintaining it,' she explains. Excessive multitasking makes things worse, further chipping away our ability to stay focused. How To Find Your Focus The good news? It's not irreversible. Here are six expert-approved strategies to minimize distractions and reclaim your focus, starting now: Switch To Single-Tasking Our brains are not designed to perform multiple complex tasks simultaneously. Instead, we rapidly switch between tasks. And each switch requires the brain to reorient itself, which consumes mental energy and slows overall performance, Dr. Schiff explains. To improve focus, Dr. Schiff recommends practicing single-tasking instead. The idea is to commit to doing only one task at a time without any distractions. Start with short periods of single-tasking, say 20 minutes, and build up as you strengthen your focus muscles, suggests Dr. Schiff. One way to ease into the habit is using the Pomodoro technique, which encourages working in small, focused sessions followed by short breaks. 'One of my favorite ways to zip up focus immediately would have to be binaural beats,' says Dr. Therese Huston, cognitive neuroscientist and author of Sharp: 14 Simple Ways to Improve Your Life with Brain Science . Binaural beats are an auditory illusion created when two tones of slightly different frequencies are played separately into each ear at the same time. Research suggests listening to binaural beats can improve concentration by what's known as 'entraining the brain,' making distractions fade into the background, Dr. Huston explains. All you need to do is put on headphones and cue up 40 Hz binaural beats on YouTube or Spotify. Turn it down to a volume where you can hear the tones, but they don't distract you. Then get back to work on whatever needs your focus. Practice Distractibility Delay Dr. Regina Lazarovich, clinical psychologist and founder of Compass CBT, recommends the 'distractibility delay' technique to clear mental distractions and stay focused on the task at hand. You start by breaking tasks into manageable chunks. Then, when a stray thought or unrelated task pops into your head while you're working, you write it down instead of immediately acting on it and get back to what you were doing. Once the focus session is over, you can review the list and decide if you actually want to address any of those distractions. Choose Tea Over Coffee While coffee contains caffeine, tea contains both caffeine and L-theanine. A randomized controlled trial published in the Nutritional Neuroscience journal reported that this combination may help us maintain focus when switching between tasks and make us less likely to get distracted by irrelevant information. 'Single tasking is always better, but if you know it's a day when you're going to be constantly pulled out of your most important task, keep a mug of tea within reach and you'll find it easier to dive back into your main task,' says Dr. Huston. Black, green, matcha, oolong, and white teas all contain L-theanine. Pro tip: The longer you steep your tea, the more L-theanine it has. Watch Your Social Media Intake In his New York Times bestseller The Shallows, author Nicholas Carr notes that when the amount of information flowing into our working memory, aka our 'cognitive load,' exceeds what our brain can handle, it becomes nearly impossible to retain or process what we are taking in. Much like an overflowing thimble, writes Carr. Carr points out that because our ability to stay focused also depends on our working memory, 'a high cognitive load amplifies the distractedness we experience.' In other words, the distractions become more distracting. Being mindful of our social media consumption is one of the easiest ways to reduce this cognitive load. Setting a time limit, keeping your phone away during meals and bedtime, and turning off unnecessary notifications can go a long way in protecting and improving your focus. Engage In Mindfulness Practicing mindfulness for as little as five minutes a day, be it meditation, mindful walking, or intentional breathing, can increase the brain's capacity for sustained attention over time, says Dr. Michael Wetter, director of psychological services at the UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center. If you're finding it difficult to stay present during the practice, consider using guided meditations or focus points (like your breath, body sensations, or visualizations) to anchor your attention. And lastly, remember that your brain isn't built for endless focus. So, be sure to set realistic expectations and take strategic microbreaks throughout the day.
Fox News
12 hours ago
- Fox News
Three-person IVF technique shown to prevent inherited genetic diseases
An unconventional approach to reproduction is reportedly reducing the risk of metabolic disease. Three-person in vitro fertilization (IVF), a new concept developed by scientists in New Castle, U.K., has resulted in the births of eight healthy children. In the study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers found that pathogenic variants in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are a "common cause" of severe — and often fatal — inherited metabolic disease. This DNA in the mother's mitochondria can cause "harmful mutations" in children, which can lead to diseases that affect tissues in the heart, brain and muscles, according to the journal Nature. At the Newcastle Fertility Centre, 22 women with pathogenic mtDNA variants underwent a "pronuclear transfer," in which they received a mitochondrial donation. This involved the transfer of the nucleus of a fertilized egg with "faulty mitochondria" into a donor egg cell with healthy mitochondria, Nature detailed. The result includes nuclear DNA from both the biological mother and father, as well as mitochondrial DNA from the separate egg donor. From this, eight children were born healthy, with no levels or low levels of mtDNA detected in their blood. The researchers noted that one child did develop hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) and cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) — as the child's mother had hyperlipidemia during pregnancy — but both conditions responded to treatment. Another child developed infant myoclonic epilepsy — a rare type of epilepsy that typically affects infants between 6 months and 3 years old — which concluded in "spontaneous remission." "At the time of this report, all the children have made normal developmental progress," the researchers noted. Dr. Zev Williams, director of Columbia University Fertility Center in New York City, said this latest research "marks an important milestone." "Expanding the range of reproductive options … will empower more couples to pursue safe and healthy pregnancies," he said in an interview with Fox News Digital. In a press briefing, Robert McFarland, a pediatric neurologist at Newcastle University, who co-led one of the studies, reportedly noted the team's "cautious optimism" about the results. "To see babies born at the end of this is amazing, and to know there's not going to be mitochondrial disease at the end of that," he said. Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.
CNN
2 days ago
- CNN
CNN reports from Gaza aid crossing
Concerns grow over Australia's toxic algae bloom A harmful algae bloom off the coast of South Australia, caused by high sea temperatures and runoff from flooding, is poisoning marine life and depleting oxygen in the water. The Australian government has stated that there is little that can be done to reverse the rapid rate of the climate crisis.
