Troubled waters: Ocean conservation faces key tests
The United Nations says the oceans are facing an emergency. Last week, more than 60 world leaders answered the UN's call for action by attending the June 9 to 13 Third UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, which was co-hosted by Costa Rica.
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Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
KTPH trials ‘smart diapers' for adult patients to help prevent skin conditions, relieve burden on nurses
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Patients who have difficulty communicating their needs or who have mobility issues stand to benefit the most from this innovation. SINGAPORE – A finger-sized device attached to diapers worn by adult patients could help them to avoid developing skin conditions and simultaneously free up nursing staff from checking on those patients multiple times throughout the day. Developed by South Korean healthtech firm Monit, the small gadget is connected to a 20cm-long strip with sensors. The device is currently being tested at the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) in a two-month-long trial. It could help reduce cases of incontinence-associated dermatitis – such as inflammation, rashes or other more serious skin conditions – caused by patients lying in soiled diapers for a prolonged period. The device can also relieve nurses from having to check diapers six times or more a day, a practice that can feel intrusive, the hospital said in a statement. Patients who have difficulty communicating their needs or who have mobility issues stand to benefit the most from this innovation. Monit's monitoring sensor is attached to the outside of the diaper using an adhesive. It can detect the presence of urine or faeces in the diaper by monitoring factors such as temperature and humidity. The sensor can be cleaned and reused when the diaper is changed. Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in analysing data to determine how badly soiled the diaper is, the sensor conveys the information in real-time, which is translated into a colour-coded system on tablets the nurses carry , said KTPH general surgery senior consultant Clement Chia. Ms Cherie Koh, a senior nurse manager at KPTH, said this allows nurses to prioritise which patient needs to be attended to first, if there are multiple patients with soiled diapers. In 2024, KTPH saw 33 patients with incontinence-associated dermatitis, Dr Chia said , noting that less mobile patients are at greater risk of infection as they may not be able to move to ventilate the area. While in most cases dermatitis results in irritation for patients, which can be resolved with basic skin care, in more serious cases it could lead to infections, which might require the use of antibiotics or even surgery in more extreme situations, he noted. Providing nurses with real-time alerts via the 'smart diapers' could help improve the situation, he added. 'We want to prevent it from even happening in the first place,' said Dr Chia, who is also the programme lead for KTPH's smart ward initiative. Monit's monitoring sensor is attached to the outside of the diaper using an adhesive. It can detect the presence of urine or faeces in the diaper by monitoring factors such as temperature and humidity. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO The trial, which began on July 8, will focus on general medicine patients as well as those from the acute stroke unit, who are more likely to require incontinence care. It will help the hospital determine how beneficial the use of the sensors is in the day-to-day care of patients. As part of the trial, KTPH is testing the use of six sensors, with two currently in use. The smart diaper trial is part of KTPH's first smart ward, located on the hospital's seventh floor. The ward, which has 33 beds, will employ technology such as a fall detection system, automated wheelchairs, smart wearables and bed turners with the aim of improving patient care. The smart ward is being launched in conjunction with the 15th anniversary of KPTH, which is part of public healthcare cluster NHG Health. NHG Health group chief research and innovation officer Tan Cher Heng said in a statement that the cluster – formerly known as the National Healthcare Group – embraces technology as an 'enabler of better and more dignified care for patients'. 'The use of AI in care innovations such as this smart diaper trial at KTPH exemplifies how we can harness smart solutions to improve comfort, prevent complications and support our nursing staff,' said Associate Professor Tan.
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
Europe looks to Nordic space race to scale back US dependence
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: A MAXUS sub-orbital rocket is displayed at the Esrange Space Center, near Kiruna, Sweden May 26, 2025. REUTERS/Johan Ahlander/File Photo KIRUNA, Sweden - Two small spaceports in the far north of Sweden and Norway are racing to launch the first satellites from mainland Europe into space as the region looks to reduce its reliance on U.S. players. U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" policies and the war in Ukraine have prompted Europe to ramp up its independent capabilities in a variety of areas, including defence and space operations. Amid fears that Elon Musk - Trump's one-time ally - could limit Ukraine's access to SpaceX's 7,000 Starlink satellites that are vital for the country's communications, Europe has been rushing to find alternatives. But there's a mountain to climb. In 2024, the U.S. carried out 154 launches of hardware into orbit, while Europe managed just three. Out of $143 billion in global public investment in space ventures last year, Europe accounted for only 10%, an EU study shows. The trend towards lower Earth orbit satellites - which are cheaper and offer better connections but need to be deployed in larger numbers to maximise coverage - also poses challenges. A Goldman Sachs report estimates that 70,000 LEO satellites could be launched in the next five years, a tenfold increase. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business S'pore to launch new grant for companies, expand support for workers amid US tariff uncertainties World Trump's ambassador nominee to Singapore Anjani Sinha has a rough day at Senate hearing Asia Dr Mahathir at 100: Still haunted by the Malay Dilemma Singapore What's next for PSP following its post-GE leadership shake-up? Singapore NDP 2025: Diamond formations, 'multi-axis' fly-past to headline parade's aerial display Multimedia 60 objects to mark SG60: Which is your favourite? Singapore HDB flats less attainable in 2024 compared with 2022: Report Singapore Apex court upholds SMC's conviction of doctor who gave patients unapproved hormones "We've lost (in) competition to, let's say, Elon Musk ... and definitely we need to have our (own) autonomous launching possibilities," Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space, told Reuters. "That's why the development of launching possibilities on the European continent, both in Sweden and Norway, is very important." Europe's only spaceport is in French Guiana, South America, some 7,000 kilometres (4,350 miles) from Paris. Europe successfully launched its new Ariane 6 rocket from there earlier this year, more than 10 years after it was commissioned and five years later than originally planned. While it can carry a bigger payload per rocket than SpaceX's Falcon 9, Ariane 6 is not reusable and has a higher cost per launch. It is also not nearly enough to meet Europe's commercial and military needs in coming years. That's where the budding Nordic spaceports come in. RARE ADVANTAGE Situated 200 kilometres above the Arctic circle, near where the borders of Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia converge, the Esrange Space Centre is unusual in Europe in offering 5,200 square kilometres (2,008 square miles) of uninhabited land. Surrounded by boglands, rivers and with the snow-clad peaks of Sweden's tallest mountain in the distance, Esrange is close to Kiruna, home to one of the world's largest underground iron ore mines, providing ready access to railroads and an airport. The area, more than three times the size of London, is shared only by the spaceport and the reindeer herds of Sweden's indigenous Sami, making it suitable for recovering rocket parts. It has little light pollution and is easy to close to air traffic. "It is unique, having a large land-based area such as the one we have here," said Lennart Poromaa, head of the Esrange Space Center, which has about 130 employees. Esrange, part of the state-owned Swedish Space Corporation, was established in 1964 and launched its first sounding rocket - a research rocket that does not go into orbit - a couple of years later. It was inaugurated as mainland Europe's first orbital launch site by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in 2023. Preparations for orbital launches are well underway, with a new set of bigger launch pads, hangars and research facilities being readied. Together with Andoya Spaceport, an island base in northern Norway, it represents Europe's best hope of securing independent access to space in the coming years. Andoya is majority-owned by the Norwegian state, with defence firm Kongsberg holding a 10% stake. In March, Andoya conducted the first test launch of a small rocket made by German startup ISAR Aerospace that can carry a payload of around 1,000 kilograms (2,205 pounds). It flew for 30 seconds before falling into the sea in what was deemed a success. Daniel Metzler, CEO and co-founder of ISAR, said interest from defence ministries in the last six months had been huge and that ISAR's flights were being filled for the coming years, even before a first successful orbital launch. "Frankly, I think probably the biggest driver was Trump getting elected once again. And as such, Trump probably did more for European defence than any European politician before him. It really created a huge sense of urgency," he said. ISAR is aiming for the first commercial flights to take place next year. AGGRESSIVE TIMELINES Andoya, visited by a NATO delegation this month, has a licence for 30 launches per year. Esrange has not set a fixed target but will also fill an important need for NATO in providing rapid launch capacity. Unlike Andoya, Esrange has opted for existing hardware, signing contracts with U.S. rocket manufacturer Firefly and South Korea's Perigee, giving it multiple potential options. Firefly, which plans to launch from Esrange from 2026, has a rapid response service that aims to be able to send rockets into space at 24 hours' notice to meet urgent needs, such as replacing a failing satellite. "I think Europe needs to look at similar or even more aggressive timelines," a NATO official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. All of the rocket suppliers are developing partially reusable rockets, with ISAR's due to be tested at Esrange. But there is much work to do across the board. "You need to get all the technical systems in place and then there will be quite a lot of testing and trialling," said Esrange's Poromaa. "Within a year or so, we'll probably have the entire base ready." REUTERS
Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Straits Times
Emperor penguin populations declining faster than expected due to climate change
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Emperor penguins number about a quarter of a million breeding pairs, all in Antarctica, according to a 2020 study. – Emperor penguin populations in Antarctica have shrunk by almost a quarter as global warming transforms their icy habitat, according to new research on June 10 that warned the losses were far worse than previously imagined. Scientists monitoring the world's largest penguin species used satellites to assess 16 colonies in the Antarctic peninsula, Weddell Sea and Bellingshausen Sea, representing nearly a third of the global emperor penguin population. What they found was 'probably about 50 per cent worse' than even the most pessimistic estimate of current populations using computer modelling, said Dr Peter Fretwell, who tracks wildlife from space at the British Antarctic Survey. Researchers know that climate change is driving the losses, but the speed of the declines is a particular cause for alarm. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications: Earth & Environment, found that numbers declined 22 per cent in the 15 years to 2024 for the colonies monitored. This compares with an earlier estimate of a 9.5 per cent reduction across Antarctica as a whole between 2009 and 2018. Warming is thinning and destabilising the ice under the penguins' feet in their breeding grounds. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump's ambassador nominee to Singapore Anjani Sinha has a rough day at Senate hearing Asia Dr Mahathir at 100: Still haunted by the Malay Dilemma Singapore What's next for PSP following its post-GE leadership shake-up? Singapore 'Give a positive review': Hidden AI prompt found in academic paper by NUS researchers Multimedia 60 objects to mark SG60: Which is your favourite? Singapore Apex court upholds SMC's conviction of doctor who gave patients unapproved hormones Singapore Singaporean fugitive arrested in Thailand for suspected drug trafficking and handed over to CNB World Trump issues tariff notices to 7 minor trading partners, hits Brazil with 50% tariff In recent years, some colonies have lost all their chicks because the ice has given way beneath them, plunging hatchlings into the sea before they were old enough to cope with the freezing ocean. Dr Fretwell said the new research suggests penguin numbers have been declining since the monitoring began in 2009. That is even before global warming was having a major impact on the sea ice, which forms over open water adjacent to land in the region. But he said the culprit is still likely to be climate change, with warming driving other challenges for the penguins, such as higher rainfall or increasing encroachment from predators. 'Emperor penguins are probably the most clear-cut example of where climate change is really showing its effect,' Dr Fretwell said. 'There's no fishing. There's no habitat destruction. There's no pollution that is causing their populations to decline,' he added. 'It's just the temperatures in the ice on which they breed and live, and that's really climate change.' A study found that Emperor penguin populations in Antarctica declined 22 per cent in the 15 years to 2024. PHOTO: REUTERS 'Worrying result' Emperor penguins, aka Aptenodytes forsteri, number about a quarter of a million breeding pairs, all in Antarctica, according to a 2020 study. A baby emperor penguin emerges from an egg kept warm in winter by a male, while the female in a breeding pair embarks on a two-month fishing expedition. When she returns to the colony, she feeds the hatchling by regurgitating. To survive on their own, chicks must develop waterproof feathers, a process that typically starts in mid-December. Dr Fretwell said there is hope that the penguins may go further south in the future but added that it is not clear 'how long they're going to last out there'. Computer models have projected that the species will be near extinction by the end of the century if humans do not slash their planet-heating emissions. The latest study suggests the picture could be even worse. 'We may have to rethink those models now with this new data,' Dr Fretwell said. 'We really do need to look at the rest of the population to see if this worrying result transfers around the continent.' But he stressed there was still time to reduce the threat to the penguins. 'We've got this really depressing picture of climate change and falling populations even faster than we thought, but it's not too late,' he said. 'We're probably going to lose a lot of emperor penguins along the way, but if people do change, and if we do reduce or turn around our climate emissions, then we will save the emperor penguin.' AFP
