The Naturalist-Artists of the Victorian Era
in the introduction to an issue of Victorian Literature and Culture. The Victorian age was a time of booming scientific exploration and experimentation, yet this scientific interest didn't by any means wipe out a romantic and spiritual fascination with nature nor its aesthetic appreciation.
These somewhat opposed tendencies—toward the systematic and rational on the one hand and the intuitive and aesthetic on the other—met and merged during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. As Gates put it, what the intellectual and artistic work of the day did 'was to build and reinforce powerful bridges: between science and art … between romanticism, with its expansive verbal tribute to nature, and Victorianism, with its adoration of concrete, detailed description.'
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Epoch Times
02-07-2025
- Epoch Times
The Naturalist-Artists of the Victorian Era
'Victorians were in love with natural history,' in the introduction to an issue of Victorian Literature and Culture. The Victorian age was a time of booming scientific exploration and experimentation, yet this scientific interest didn't by any means wipe out a romantic and spiritual fascination with nature nor its aesthetic appreciation. These somewhat opposed tendencies—toward the systematic and rational on the one hand and the intuitive and aesthetic on the other—met and merged during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. As Gates put it, what the intellectual and artistic work of the day did 'was to build and reinforce powerful bridges: between science and art … between romanticism, with its expansive verbal tribute to nature, and Victorianism, with its adoration of concrete, detailed description.'
New York Post
20-06-2025
- New York Post
Bill Gates shares ‘next phase of Alzheimer's fight' as he speaks about his father's personal battle
Bill Gates is speaking out about his personal experience with Alzheimer's — and his hope for progress in fighting the disease. In an essay published this week on his blog at the Microsoft co-founder and tech billionaire, 69, reflected on the difficulty of spending another Father's Day without his dad, Bill Gates Sr. Advertisement The elder Gates passed away in 2020 at the age of 94 after battling Alzheimer's. 'It was a brutal experience, watching my brilliant, loving father go downhill and disappear,' Gates wrote in the blog post. Today, motivated by his own experience with the common dementia, Gates — who serves as chair of the Gates Foundation — is committed to working toward a cure for the common dementia, which currently affects more than seven million Americans, or one in nine people over 65. In his blog, Gates expressed optimism about the 'massive progress' being made in the fight against Alzheimer's and other dementias. Advertisement Last year, Gates said he visited Indiana University's School of Medicine in Indianapolis to tour the labs where teams have been researching Alzheimer's biomarkers. 5 Bill Gates (left) is speaking out about his personal experience with Alzheimer's — and his hope for progress in fighting the disease. Brian Ach 'I also got the opportunity to look under the hood of new automated machines that will soon be running diagnostics around the world,' he wrote. 'It's an exciting time in a challenging space.' One of the biggest breakthroughs in Alzheimer's research, according to Gates, is blood-based diagnostic tests, which detect the ratio of amyloid plaques in the brain. (Amyloid plaques, clumps of protein that accumulate in the brain, are one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's.) Advertisement 'I'm optimistic that these tests will be a game-changer,' Gates wrote. 5 The elder Gates passed away in 2020 at the age of 94 after battling Alzheimer's. Bloomberg via Getty Images Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first blood-based test for patients 55 years and older, as Fox News Digital reported at the time. Traditionally, Gates noted, the primary path to Alzheimer's diagnosis was either a PET scan (medical imaging) or spinal tap (lumbar puncture), which were usually only performed when symptoms emerged. Advertisement The hope is that blood-based tests could do a better job of catching the disease early, decline begins. 5 Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first blood-based test for patients 55 years and older, as Fox News Digital reported at the time. – 'We now know that the disease begins 15 to 20 years before you start to see any signs,' Gates wrote. 'A simple, accurate and easy-to-run blood test might one day make routine screening possible, identifying patients long before they experience cognitive decline,' he stated. Gates said he is often asked, 'What is the point of getting diagnosed if I can't do anything about it?' Start and end your day informed with our newsletters Morning Report and Evening Update: Your source for today's top stories Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters To that end, he expressed his optimism for the future of Alzheimer's treatments, noting that two drugs — Lecanemab (Leqembi) and Donanemab (Kisunla) — have gained FDA approval. 'Both have proven to modestly slow down the progression of the disease, but what I'm really excited about is their potential when paired with an early diagnostic,' Gates noted. Advertisement He said he is also hopeful that the blood tests will help speed up the process of enrolling patients in clinical trials for new Alzheimer's drugs. 5 The hope is that blood-based tests could do a better job of catching the disease early, decline begins. Monkey Business – To accomplish this, Gates is calling for increased funding for research, which often comes from federal grants. 'This is the moment to spend more money on research, not less,' he wrote, also stating that 'the quest to stop Alzheimer's has never had more momentum.' Advertisement 'There is still a huge amount of work to be done — like deepening our understanding of the disease's pathology and developing even better diagnostics,' Gates went on. 5 Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, his wife Melinda, far left, his father Bill Gates Sr., and his step-mother Mimi Gates pose for a photo in 2007. AP Gates pointed out that when his father had Alzheimer's, it was considered a 'death sentence,' but that is starting to change. Advertisement 'I am blown away by how much we have learned about Alzheimer's over the last couple of years,' he wrote. 'I cannot help but be filled with a sense of hope when I think of all the progress being made on Alzheimer's, even with so many challenges happening around the world. We are closer than ever before to a world where no one has to watch someone they love suffer from this awful disease.'
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Secret hidden beneath Australia's 'most important' parcel of land
The last place in the world where a rare lizard lives is a tightly guarded secret because the tiny creature is highly prized by collectors. But even more valuable is the land where the Victorian grassland earless dragons live — a single farm west of Melbourne that sits right in the middle of a landscape earmarked for development 20 years ago. While a captive breeding program has been established at Melbourne Zoo, less than two per cent of viable dragon habitat remains intact in Victoria, and there are growing concerns government isn't doing enough to protect what remains. On Thursday, the experts who know the species best sounded the alarm in a new report published by the Biodiversity Council, saying 'urgent action' is needed to protect the dragon from extinction in the wild. Peter Robertson is a reptile ecologist and a member of the Victorian Grassland Earless Dragon Recovery Team, who has been studying the species since it was rediscovered living inside tiny burrows in 2023. In his opinion, the property where the dragons live is the "most important" parcel of land in Australia that's not yet in public hands. 'It's only three paddocks that the whole world population is now known from, and there's every chance that it will never be found anywhere else,' he told Yahoo News. 'It may persist in little populations elsewhere, but we don't know.' When it comes to new developments in native grasslands where the dragons could still persist, the land first needs to be assessed by ecologists. But there's plenty of development in potential habitat that's underway right now, because it was green-lit before its rediscovery and its listing as a critically endangered species. The earth has been broken at the property next door to the rediscovery site, and soon, there will be dozens of houses occupying the land. And while that's great news for developers and people who need somewhere to live, the increased traffic on roads, the dogs and cats, and the fragmentation of habitat will likely be bad news for the dragon. Prior to its rediscovery, Victoria's distinct dragon species hadn't been seen since the 1960s, and many thought it was extinct. But scientists never gave up hope, and in 2019 a Museums Victoria dragon expert said she was confident they could survive, while Zoos Victoria began mapping the state for potential habitat. The dragon's rediscovery was ultimately accidental. It was found during a routine survey of animals and plants, because the broader region was set to be rezoned for development. 🔍 Is the Bathurst grassland earless dragon extinct? 😳 Grim reason three new dragon species were added to the threatened species list 🚨 Fears for future of tiny dragon stalling construction of 310,000 new homes That farm where it was found is potentially worth tens of millions of dollars. Those working to protect the dragons are concerned the government has yet to put in an offer to buy the property, putting its owners and the future of the dragons in limbo. Robertson thinks conserving this 'one known population' needs to be the 'number one' priority of the government if it wants to stop its extinction. And he warns its future is far from being secure. 'When we can see what's clearly required, and nothing's happening, and nothing's happened for more than two years since the rediscovery. It is really frustrating,' he said. 'This might be the one chance we have to save this species. If we don't secure that habitat it may go back to apparent extinction, just like we assumed for decades.' Dragons are often described as a 'Goldilocks species' because they require habitat to be 'just right' — a mosaic of short to moderate grass tussocks as well as areas that support basking in the sun. At the rediscovery site, it's 60 years of sheep grazing that's kept the grass low, creating a perfect environment perfect for dragons. But other viable habitat on private land has been left for decades to degrade, and it will need significant rehabilitation if it's ever to be home to dragons again. Biodiversity Council spokesperson and report contributing author, Janna Dielenberg, thinks it's unlikely that the dragon could be rediscovered due to the region being developed. 'The chances of another discovery are exceedingly slim,' she told Yahoo News. In 2010, the Victorian government committed to buying 15,000 hectares of private land over a decade to protect rare native grasslands and create the Western Grassland Reserve (WGR). But 15 years on, the plan has not been completed and just 4,000 hectares have been protected. It was conceived as part of a deal with the Commonwealth called the Melbourne Strategic Assessment (MSA) that allowed the state to take charge of development in sensitive areas. One major concern is that the MSA has not been updated to include the rediscovery site. And the Biodiversity Council says it's 'disappointed' that over the last 15 years, other land that might have once been a great asset to dragons has been allowed to degrade because it's yet to be purchased by the Victorian government. Dielenberg said land that was in 'great healthy condition' is now overrun with weeds, used for dumping soil, or transformed from sheep grazing to crops, making it no longer suitable for dragons. 'Sheep farming has become less profitable over that time. And when they plough it all up for crops it rips up their burrows, and destroys the grasslands forever,' she said. In a statement Victoria's department of environment (DEECA) said it is "protecting" native grassland habitats by continuing to acquire and rehabilitate land. 'This is funded by the MSA levy which is paid by developers and therefore proceeds in line with the rate of development in the area,' it said. 'We are working with the private landholder and other stakeholders on ways to protect the dragon rediscovery site, as well as delivering a successful conservation breeding program for the Victorian grassland earless dragon with the Commonwealth Government.' Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
