🌞 Good progress for an Aussie endangered animal

I’ve been doing this newsletter for a while, and these intros aren’t getting any easier to write. 

I know what you all must be thinking: Anju, what do you mean? Your introductions are always the best part of my week! They’re so funny, witty and intelligent. How do you do it?

I don’t know what to tell you. I’m just exceedingly modest and refreshingly humble. 

British author M. John Harrison has become the oldest person to win the Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards.  

Harrison, 81, won for his book, ‘The End of Everything,’ which was also his first Booker nomination. Interestingly, Harrison actually judged the Booker Prize in 2022. 

Chair of judges Mary Beard said that judges all agreed unanimously to award the prize to Harrison, adding that: “It’s a book that turns you upside down, raises a wry smile – and surprisingly, given the subject matter, leaves you with a twinge of optimism.”

I love anti-ageism in the arts industry. In a semi-related side note, over in Hollywood, a screenwriting program backed by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman is coming to Australia. The Writers Lab, which aims to tackle ageism and gender bias in the screen industry, will soon open submissions to female and non-binary screenwriters over 40. 

A student is attracted by trees decorated with colorful knitted sweaters on November 11, 2026 in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province of China. Recently, students at a university in Harbin knitted cartoon-themed sweaters for campus trees to decorate them for winter. (Photo by Zhao Yuhang/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

Tatum Galberth is an eight-year-old American singer who recently made her seventh appearance on the Jennifer Hudson show. She complimented JHud’s hair, offered to co-host and gave such good advice. She told all the girls: your voice matters, your dream matters and you matter… to the girl that’s scared. I want to sit beside you. You deserve to be heard. You deserve to be included and you deserve to be loved. You got this!”

I included the quote, but I can’t include her hair flicks, smiles or diva energy. Words cannot do her justice. PLEASE watch the video.  

Earlier this month, Nigeria became the first African country to win the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup. Their national team, the Flamingos, defeated Japan 2-1 in the final held in Morocco, with players Awawu Bashiru and Oluebube Umejiaku scoring the goals. 

The win also means Nigeria is the first African country to win the FIFA U17 World Cup in both the male and female categories. The Flamingos are also the first African female team to win any FIFA World Cup! 

NFF acting Secretary-General Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme said: “This was an awesome performance by the girls all through. They lost their first match narrowly to Poland but rose stoutly and with determination from that setback to win the six matches that followed and lift this prestigious trophy.” 

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Copenhagen’s City Council has voted to remove fossil advertising from the city’s properties and infrastructure. It’s the first Danish city to announce restrictions on advertisements for high-emissions activities, such as air travel or cruises.

According to the organisation World Without Fossil Ads, the proposal passed with  a majority of 39-14. The motion also mandates that Copenhagen's public bus and metro companies remove ads for air travel, cruises and combustion-engine cars from stations in the city. 

The Danish capital joins multiple other cities and suburbs around the world in the initiative, including Bristol, Helsinki, and Adelaide.

One of Australia’s most endangered snakes has just made some promising progress in the wild. At least four of six broad-headed snakes that were bred in captivity have survived their “critical” first months in the wild. 

UTS wildlife ecologist Professor Jonathan Webb is leading the rewilding program, along with Traditional Owners of the Shoalhaven region and conservation organisation Aussie Ark.  

He said: “The reintroduction of the broad-headed snake is a world-first, and so far, the results are really encouraging. This pilot study will yield important information, which will help guide future reintroductions of this iconic species.” 

Webb said reintroducing threatened species can be really tricky due to natural threats or invasive predators. The species has quite a slow life cycle. It can take five years for them to reach adulthood, and females only reproduce every three years or so. This means the species can take decades to recover from population losses, so four surviving snakes is a promising sign. 

The reintroduction program is also training and supporting First Nations rangers to protect the species. Traditional Owner Frank Connolly Jr. said: “The broad-headed snake is important to our culture. It’s great for our young people growing up to learn all of this, to keep it going for the next generation coming through”.  

This week, five Aussies and Kiwis were named as be L’Oreal-UNESCO’s Women in Science fellows. The program, now in its 20th year in the region recognises “a new generation of women whose groundbreaking research is helping address some of the most pressing challenges of our time”. The fellowship provides them with $25,000 in flexible funding, mentorship and visibility. 

One fellow who I found particularly inspiring was Dr. Hani Kim, from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in NSW. As a computational biologist (possibly the coolest title ever) she uses AI to bring personalised treatment for people with breast cancer. Dr. Kim uses advanced models to analyse datasets, identifying which patients will identify from immunotherapy, meaning  women can get more personalised treatment. 

TDA video producer Avegail went to the event, calling it “nothing short of revitalising… highlight[ing] not only the work and research of all five female fellows, but also honouring them as the women they are. It was a night recognising the importance of women in STEM spaces and how the perspectives that women offer genuinely shapes scientific outcomes. Through the many conversations and speeches, one line stayed with me long after: ‘The world needs science and science needs women.’”