Latest news with #UniversityofBritishColumbia
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Mysterious message 'from Moses' found in ancient Egyptian mine could prove the Bible true
A controversial new interpretation of markings etched on the walls of an ancient Egyptian mine could prove the Book of Exodus to be true. Researcher Michael Bar-Ron claimed that a 3,800-year-old Proto-Sinaitic inscription, found at Serabit el-Khadim in Egypt 's Sinai Peninsula, may read 'zot m'Moshe,' Hebrew for, 'This is from Moses.' The inscription, etched into a rock face near the so-called Sinai 357 in Mine L, is part of a collection of over two dozen Proto-Sinaitic texts first discovered in the early 1900s. These writings, among the earliest known alphabetic scripts, were likely created by Semitic-speaking workers in the late 12th Dynasty, around 1800BC. Bar-Ron, who spent eight years analyzing high-resolution images and 3D scans, suggested the phrase could indicate authorship or dedication linked to a figure named Moses. According to the Bible, Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, and is famously known for receiving the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai. But no evidence of his existence has ever been found. Other nearby inscriptions reference 'El', a deity associated with early Israelite worship, and show signs of the Egyptian goddess Hathor's name being defaced, hinting at cultural and religious tensions. Mainstream experts remain cautious, noting that while Proto-Sinaitic is the earliest known alphabet, its characters are notoriously difficult to decipher. Dr Thomas Schneider, Egyptologist and professor at the University of British Columbia, said the claims are completely unproven and misleading,' warning that 'arbitrary' identifications of letters can distort ancient history.' However, Bar-Ron's academic advisor, Dr Pieter van der Veen, confirmed the reading, stating: 'You're absolutely correct, I read this as well, it is not imagined!' Bar-Ron's study, which has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, re-examined 22 complex inscriptions from the ancient turquoise mines, dating to the reign of Pharaoh Amenemhat III. Some scholars have proposed that Amenemhat III, known for his extensive building projects, could have been the pharaoh mentioned in the Book of Exodus. The language used in the carvings appears to be an early form of Northwest Semitic, closely related to biblical Hebrew, with traces of Aramaic. Using high-resolution images and 3D casts studied at Harvard's Semitic Museum, Bar-Ron grouped the inscriptions into five overlapping categories, or 'clades,' including dedications to the goddess Baʿalat, invocations of the Hebrew God El and hybrid inscriptions that show signs of later defacement and modification. Some carvings honoring Baʿalat appeared to have been scratched over by El-worshippers, possibly reflecting a religious power struggle among the Semitic-speaking laborers. The inscriptions also contained references to slavery, overseers, and a dramatic rejection of the Baʿalat cult, which scholars suggest may have led to a violent purge and the workers' eventual departure from the site. A burned Ba'alat temple, built by Amenemhat III, and references to the 'Gate of the Accursed One, likely Pharaoh's gate, hint at resistance against Egyptian authority. Nearby, the Stele of Reniseneb and a seal of an Asiatic Egyptian high official indicate a significant Semitic presence, possibly linked to figures like the biblical Joseph, a high-ranking official in Pharaoh's court, as described in the Book of Genesis. Joseph, sold into slavery and later rising to power through his dream interpretations, facilitated his family's settlement in Egypt. 'We find worshipful inscriptions lauding the idol Ba'alat, with clearly an El or God-serving scribe coming in later and canceling out certain letters, in an effort to turn the message into a God-serving one,' Bar-Ron told Patterns of Evidence. 'This is ground zero for this conflict.' A second possible 'Moshe,' or Moses, reference in nearby carvings adds intrigue, though its exact context remains unclear. 'I took a very critical view towards finding the name 'Moses' or anything that could sound sensationalist,' Bar-Ron told Patterns of Evidence. 'In fact, the only way to do serious work is to try not to find elements that seem 'Biblical,' but to struggle to find alternative solutions that are at least as likely.'
The Hill
18 hours ago
- Science
- The Hill
National parks animals are changing their habits in response to humans: Study
The persistent presence of humans and their infrastructure in U.S. national parks has yielded dramatic changes in the behaviors of large animals who live there, a new study has found. Even during the pandemic-era lockdowns that briefly closed parks to humans in 2020, large animals at most sites continued to avoid human-built roadways and facilities, according to the study, published on Tuesday in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. This wasn't true in all cases, as animals in more developed areas did switch from avoiding human infrastructure in 2019 to using it more in 2020, per the study. But across all parks and species — particularly in remote areas — the avoidance behavior generally persisted. 'Wildlife all around the world fear people and avoid areas of high human activity,' lead author Kaitlyn Gaynor, a zoologist at the University of British Columbia, said in a statement. 'But it was surprising to see that this holds true even in more remote protected areas,' Gaynor added. To understand these behaviors, the researchers evaluated GPS collar data for 229 animals from 10 species across 14 national parks and protected areas, from 2019 to 2020. Using this range of dates, they explained, allowed for an assessment as to how animals navigated human activity hubs in parks both before and during what they described as a COVID 'Anthropause' — a time with far fewer human visitors. The species of interest included gray wolves, mountain lions, black and grizzly bears, moose, mountain goats and bighorn sheep. Overall, the researchers found that animals tended to avoid infrastructure like roads, trails, parking lots, buildings and campgrounds, although these inclinations varied among populations, species and individuals. For example, animals located in more developed areas were more willing to explore those places without any people around in 2020, according to the study. Managers at Yosemite, for example, told the researchers that even after people came back following pandemic-era closures, the black bears stuck around — causing problems. 'The bears got used to the abundant food in Yosemite Valley and didn't want to give it up,' Gaynor said. But although some populations, like the Yosemite black bears, showed a robust response to park shutdowns, she stressed that 'most did not.' 'Because a lot of headlines in 2020 implied that animals were taking back our national parks and were on the streets everywhere, we expected to see a bigger effect,' Gaynor said. 'But it takes just a few individuals to start changing their behavior to create the perception of a larger impact.' The researchers also hypothesized that due to the relatively short length of the pandemic closures — which on average lasted about 58 days — many animals may have lacked the time necessary to perceive and react to shifts in human activity. They also speculated that risk-averse animals may have already been displaced before the pandemic began — meaning that those with greater exposure to humans may have already been habituated to their presence. Addressing these differences in response, co-author Forest Hayes, a postdoctoral fellow at Colorado State University, noted 'the complex ways that animals balance risks and benefits associated with humans.' Echoing these sentiments, Gaynor said that 'some species are just more wary of people than others, like bighorn sheep and mountain lions, while others have learned to associate humans with some benefit.' For example, she explained, mule deer and elk at Zion National Park tend to linger around humans in developed areas, possibly as a way of avoiding their predators. Emphasizing the varying responses of animals to human presence, the authors noted the conflicting but coexisting interests of park recreation and conservation activities. These responses, they added, can shape how species compete — prompting changes in ecosystem dynamics and affecting how animals persist alongside people. 'This study provides evidence that conservation is compatible with recreation at low levels but that we do need to keep some areas exclusively for wildlife,' Gaynor said.
Global News
2 days ago
- Health
- Global News
Use of IUDs up after B.C. made birth control free
A new study shows more women opted for long-acting birth control methods after British Columbia began covering the cost, which researchers say is a strong reason for Ottawa's pharmacare plan to do the same. The study found prescriptions for all types of birth control jumped significantly after the province began covering contraceptives in April 2023, with a 49 per cent jump in prescriptions for intrauterine devices (IUDs) driving the increase. The paper published Monday in the BMJ examined the prescriptions of nearly 860,000 women in the 15 months after contraception coverage began and compared them to what would have been expected without coverage. Among prescriptions for women aged 15 to 49 between April 2023 and June 2024, 11,000 more women were prescribed IUDs, which are inserted into the uterus to prevent fertilization and considered 10 times more effective than pills or condoms. Story continues below advertisement 5:57 What Pharmacare expansion means for Canadians Reached in Vancouver, lead author Laura Schummers said IUDs can cost up to $450 out-of-pocket compared to approximately $25 for a month of pills, according to a government estimate. Though IUDs last at least three years, they cost more upfront. 'This tells us that costs alone are a huge barrier to the most effective methods of contraception across Canada,' said Schummers, an assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of British Columbia. Schummers says these results clearly demonstrate the need for national pharmacare coverage, as affordable access is unequal across the country. Many other provinces will only cover contraception for those who are below a certain age or income. The federal government said just a fraction of Canadians are eligible for that low- or no-cost option. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The British Columbia government started covering 100 per cent of the cost of all IUDs, such as copper and hormonal, contraceptive implants and injections, vaginal rings, most birth control pills and emergency oral contraceptives on April 1, 2023. Story continues below advertisement The federal government announced in October 2024 that it intended to cover the cost of contraception and diabetes medications. That required the government to negotiate and sign deals with each province and territory. The federal government announced in October 2024 that it intended to cover the cost of contraception and diabetes medications. That required the government to negotiate and sign deals with each province and territory. But the Liberal leadership changed ahead of the spring election. Last week, federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel said the Mark Carney government would not commit to signing pharmacare funding deals beyond the three provinces and one territory that did so under Justin Trudeau. Those include P.E.I., B.C., Manitoba and Yukon. A spokesperson for the minister says the government will protect the four deals that have been signed. Schummers says those who cannot afford IUDs may either choose cheaper but less effective methods, or forgo contraceptives altogether. 0:32 Pharmacare bill covering diabetes, birth control medications passes Senate 'This is not a small fraction of people who are falling through the cracks,' she says. Story continues below advertisement The study says that 15 months after the policy was implemented, there were 1,981 more monthly prescriptions filled when compared to what they were expecting based on pre-policy trends. Schummers says the increase in IUD use was seen across all age groups, but most pronounced for people aged 20 to 29, many who had previously not been using any prescription contraception. Halifax pharmacist Kari Ellen Graham says she's seen customers prescribed birth control leave empty-handed because of the cost. She said one woman was in an abusive relationship but could not afford to pay out-of-pocket for birth control. The next summer, she saw the woman with a newborn in tow. 'We see this all the time in gender-based violence and it's a really sad thing when people don't have reproductive autonomy,' Graham said. There are deductibles and copayment options for contraception in Nova Scotia, but both require the patient to pay at the counter. 'It's been decades that we've been having these conversations around birth control here in Nova Scotia and we are exactly where we were decades ago,' she said. Dr. Amanda Black, past president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, said there's a financial incentive for the federal government to cover the cost of contraception. Story continues below advertisement A paper she authored in 2015 estimated the direct health-care cost of unintended pregnancies in Canada was at least $320 million per year, which she said is very likely higher in 2025. That figure accounted for the cost of abortions, ectopic pregnancies and births. She said UBC researchers in 2018 estimated that the provincial government breaks even within two years of funding birth control. 'After that the government is actually saving money,' said Black, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Ottawa. Black said it would be a step backwards for women's health in Canada if the federal government stops signing pharmacare agreements with the provinces, particularly as reproductive rights are being rolled back in other parts of the world. 'We want to be moving forward and continue to move forward and this is one of the biggest things that has happened for women's gender equity in decades.' – with file from Sarah Ritchie This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025. Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Study finds more women opted for IUDs after B.C. made birth control free
A new study shows more women opted for long-acting birth control methods after British Columbia began covering the cost, which researchers say is strong reason for Ottawa's pharmacare plan to do the same. The study found prescriptions for all types of birth control jumped significantly after the province began covering contraceptives in April 2023, with a 49 per cent jump in prescriptions for intrauterine devices (IUDs) driving the increase. The paper published Monday in the BMJ examined the prescriptions of nearly 860,000 women in the 15 months after contraception coverage began and compared them to what would have been expected without coverage. Among prescriptions for women aged 15 to 49 between April 2023 and June 2024, 11,000 more women were prescribed IUDs, which are inserted into the uterus to prevent fertilization and considered 10 times more effective than pills or condoms. Reached in Vancouver, lead author Laura Schummers said IUDs can cost up to $450 out-of-pocket compared to approximately $25 for a month of pills, according to a government estimate. Though IUDs last at least three years, they cost more upfront. 'This tells us that costs alone are a huge barrier to the most effective methods of contraception across Canada,' said Schummers, an assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of British Columbia. Schummers says these results clearly demonstrate the need for national pharmacare coverage, as affordable access is unequal across the country. Many other provinces will only cover contraception for those who are below a certain age or income. The federal government said just a fraction of Canadians are eligible for that low or no cost option. The British Columbia government started covering 100 per cent of the cost of all IUDs, such as copper and hormonal, contraceptive implants and injections, vaginal rings, most birth control pills and emergency oral contraceptives on April 1, 2023. The federal government announced in October 2024 that it intended to cover the cost of contraception and diabetes medications. That required the government to negotiate and sign deals with each province and territory. The federal government announced in October 2024 that it intended to cover the cost of contraception and diabetes medications. That required the government to negotiate and sign deals with each province and territory. But the Liberal leadership changed ahead of the spring election. Last week, federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel said the Mark Carney government would not commit to signing pharmacare funding deals beyond the three provinces and one territory that did so under Justin Trudeau. Those include P.E.I., B.C., Manitoba and Yukon. A spokesperson for the minister says the government will protect the four deals that have been signed. Schummers says those who cannot afford IUDs may either choose cheaper but less effective methods, or forgo contraceptives altogether. 'This is not a small fraction of people who are falling through the cracks,' she says. The study says that 15 months after the policy was implemented, there were 1,981 more monthly prescriptions filled when compared to what they were expecting based on pre-policy trends. Schummers says the increase in IUD use was seen across all age groups, but most pronounced for people aged 20 to 29, many who had previously not been using any prescription contraception. Halifax pharmacist Kari Ellen Graham says she's seen customers prescribed birth control leave empty-handed because of the cost. She said one woman was in an abusive relationship but could not afford to pay out-of-pocket for birth control. The next summer, she saw the woman with a newborn in tow. 'We see this all the time in gender-based violence and it's a really sad thing when people don't have reproductive autonomy,' Graham said. There are deductibles and copayment options for contraception in Nova Scotia, but both require the patient to pay at the counter. 'It's been decades that we've been having these conversations around birth control here in Nova Scotia and we are exactly where we were decades ago,' she said. Dr. Amanda Black, past president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, said there's a financial incentive for the federal government to cover the cost of contraception. A paper she authored in 2015 estimated the direct health-care cost of unintended pregnancies in Canada was at least $320 million per year, which she said is very likely higher in 2025. That figure accounted for the cost of abortions, ectopic pregnancies and births. She said UBC researchers in 2018 estimated that the provincial government breaks even within two years of funding birth control. 'After that the government is actually saving money,' said Black, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Ottawa. Black said it would be a step backwards for women's health in Canada if the federal government stops signing pharmacare agreements with the provinces, particularly as reproductive rights are being rolled back in other parts of the world. 'We want to be moving forward and continue to move forward and this is one of the biggest things that has happened for women's gender equity in decades.' - with file from Sarah Ritchie This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025. Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
National Observer
2 days ago
- Health
- National Observer
Homeowners question government over PFAS contamination cleanup
Edward Sheerr didn't know much about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances until they were discovered in his drinking water. He, his wife and their two children moved to their home in the town of Torbay, Newfoundland and Labrador, in 2017 and found out from neighbours that the water in their area was not safe to drink. He recalls feeling afraid, angry and desperate for answers: 'What are the possible implications from that? And what really can we do about it?' Eventually, he learned that the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination was coming from St. John's International Airport before spreading and seeping into the household well water in his neighbourhood. PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals used since the 1950s in everything from clothing to food wrappers to cookware. But one of the most problematic uses is at airports and airport firefighter training facilities, where aqueous firefighting foams (AFFF) contain PFAS. These 'forever chemicals' build up in the environment and in people who come into contact with them. The St. John's airport is one of 33 PFAS-contaminated airport sites for which Transport Canada is responsible, according to the department's own data. Some of these sites have been identified as PFAS-contaminated for over 20 years, but have not yet undergone complete environmental remediation to clean PFAS out of the soil and water. All of which has added another question for Sheerr: What's taking so long? 'They don't go anywhere' The Torbay site was classified as contaminated by Transport Canada in 2005-2006 and, 20 years later, just under 19,000 tons of contamination has been cleaned up. Other sites are also seeing sluggish progress. A site in Sept-Îles, Quebec, was identified seven years ago but is still in the planning stages for a cleanup which hasn't been performed yet. Watson Lake in the Yukon was added to the list in 2005-2006 — and current information shows that no remediation work beyond planning has happened. The St. John's airport is one of 33 PFAS-contaminated airport sites for which Transport Canada is responsible, according to the department's own data. Some of these sites have been identified as PFAS-contaminated for over 20 years. A research paper from 2018 assessed that of 2,071 airport and heliport sites across Canada, 420 sites likely have PFAS contamination from firefighting foam and 25 of these sites were between 200 metres to 2.5 kilometres from surface water such as streams, lakes or wetlands. Their ubiquity is a direct consequence of their utility. 'On one side, they're amazing chemicals,' says Johan Foster, an associate professor with the University of British Columbia's chemical and biological engineering department. 'They're wonderful for what they do.' And because they're so effective, they're used a lot, he says. But their chemical structures mean they don't break down. 'That's why they're the 'forever chemicals,' because they just kind of sit around, they never degrade, and then they build up,' he says. Also, PFAS don't stay local — they travel, sometimes long distances away from the original polluted area. They spread via groundwater, surface water, run-off, soil, rain and wind. They evaporate into the air and drop somewhere else. They can spread with activities, like water bombers scooping up water from a contaminated lake and dumping it on a forest fire elsewhere, says Foster. Because they spread easily, water-soluble PFAS are the ones most frequently found in nature, he says. 'If it rains, they get into the groundwater,' he says. 'We can eat them, they get into our bloodstream, they cause all sorts of problems inside the human body and also with animals and nature. We don't break them down inside of our body, and they don't go anywhere.' The chemicals had been widely adopted because of how cheap and easy they are to use — but cleaning them up is precisely the opposite. 'Truly, once the cat is out of the bag, cleanup of PFAS is wildly expensive and very complex work,' says Cassie Barker, senior program manager for toxics at nonprofit Environmental Defence. 'I think that these municipalities and/or private well-users are left holding the bag on trying to find expensive water treatment solutions at the end of the pipe.' There isn't yet a good remediation method, either. There are two main technologies available, Foster says. One is absorbative, which uses a filter to remove PFAS from water, but those filters are then contaminated. If they're sent to a landfill site, they'll just transfer the contamination to the ground. There's also electro-oxidation and supercritical water methods. For the latter, a container of water is heated to 374 degrees Celsius under a lot of pressure that ultimately destroys the PFAS. This is what engineers like Foster call a 'very dilute problem.' If you were to throw half a wooden toothpick-sized quantity of PFAS into an Olympic-sized swimming pool, that would make it undrinkable. Now imagine cleaning that up. 'You just can't take that swimming pool of water and heat it up. You have to be able to concentrate it and then destroy it,' he says. 'That creates an issue of being able to do this at scale.' Where are the PFAS? Even before the difficult work of remediation can begin, the PFAS need to be found. However, Canada lacks comprehensive records about PFAS contaminations or its presence in water systems or groundwater. While over 100 federal sites have been identified as PFAS-contaminated, the Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory does not yet include all of them, according to a 2025 report from Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada. PFAS was only added to the inventory in 2024-2025. Further, environmental releases of PFAS are reported to the national spill registry, which is better suited to capture spills of substances such as oil or diesel — not something that can contaminate a swimming pool with a couple of drops — so small but still consequential amounts may not be reported. As well, not all types of PFAS get picked up by standard commercial analyses, says Kela Weber, professor of chemistry and chemical engineering at the Royal Military College and co-author of the 2018 paper. That's been, he says, 'a fundamental challenge from the start.' 'There are so many different types of PFAS, most labs can't even analyze for them,' he says. And if we don't know what was present in the first place, we can't know whether it's really been destroyed, he points out. Additionally, the PFAS being dealt with now are from 30-odd years ago, not the current variations, which are ever-expanding — one estimate puts global annual PFAS sales at $55 billion a year. As if the problem weren't already complex enough, PFAS can transform as they move through the world, evaporating, condensing and encountering other chemicals. 'The challenge of remediation is not the removal of the parent compound that you're interested in,' Weber says. 'It's the removal of all PFAS, including what that parent compound is transformed into.' He says that's what happens with all removal technologies, 'whether it's detected there's transformation happening or not.' Who's going to pay? As evidence mounts of the chemicals' harms, individuals and governments are taking PFAS manufacturers to court. Transport Canada is suing chemical manufacturers 3M and Mueller Water Products, while British Columbia filed a class action against manufacturers last year. But governments are also facing lawsuits for their part in allowing the chemical contamination to go so far. The Sheerrs are part of a class action lawsuit launched against Transport Canada last fall, accusing the department of negligence and seeking damages, among other things. They say the department has never performed a hydrogeological study, even though the Department of Environment and the Town of Torbay have both recommended one. 'We're at somewhat of a loss as to why it is that Transport Canada hasn't committed to doing that yet,' says Alex Templeton, the lawyer heading the lawsuit. Transport Canada declined to provide a representative for an interview and instead sent a comment that reads, in part, 'Transport Canada takes its responsibilities related to human health and the environment seriously, especially with respect to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). … When test results at an airport property boundary indicate exceedances of the new PFAS objective, Transport Canada has been contacting neighbouring residents with residential drinking water wells to test their water.' But the Sheerrs found out about their water when Transport Canada tested other homes in their neighbourhood. Eddie Sheerr contacted the department himself to request a water test. 'I had to reach out to them. They didn't reach out to me,' he says. In-home filtration systems promised last fall have yet to materialize, he says, and as with other homes in their community that found PFAS presence in excess of 30 nanograms a litre, the Sheerrs are now receiving 15 five-gallon bottles of water a month from Transport Canada. There are many start-ups and researchers trying to solve the PFAS removal problem. Foster has a PFAS-cleaning start-up being tested, and Weber is working on a method that's scheduled for a field trial in Ontario next year. The Sheerrs and others in their community would like more transparency and help, and Foster would like more regulations and plans. 'This is our generation's leaded fuel,' he says. 'It's in the environment. You can't see it. You can't smell it. It's creating all of these health problems. And we're going to have to deal with it.'
