MAJOR VICTORY
Mexico Moves on Pesticide Ban After Historic Decree This Week
Mexico is making meaningful strides to protect biodiversity and public health. Earlier this year, constitutional reforms safeguarded native maize. And just this week—on September 3—a Presidential Decree banned the import, sale, and use of 35 pesticides deemed highly toxic to both people and pollinators.
These chemicals—already banned in many countries and covered by international agreements Mexico has signed—include aldicarb, carbofuran, endosulfan, and DDT. Their removal is a major victory, as they damage the nervous system, disrupt DNA and hormones, pollute water, and devastate bees, pollinators, and birds.
Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegué has stressed a vision of “cleaner, more sustainable, and safer agriculture for producers, farmworkers, and consumers.” While dangerous insecticides are still in widespread use, this week’s decree marks a turning point and a foundation for broader reform.
Civil society and farming communities are calling for the next step: banning additional toxic chemicals such as chlorpyrifos, paraquat, glyphosate, and more, while replacing them with safe, effective agroecological alternatives.
Momentum is growing. With this week’s historic action and the pressure of grassroots voices.
Read how Mexico is moving closer to a future where farming flourishes in harmony with nature—delivering healthier food systems and a safer environment for generations to come
NEW STUDY
Music Sparks Social Imagination and Eases Loneliness
Elissa Blake, Neuroscience News:
“Have you ever felt like music keeps you company? Does music truly offer companionship or is it simply a figure of speech? A new study led by Dr Steffen A. Herff, cognitive neuroscientist at Sydney, Music, Mind and Body Lab at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, has shown for the first time empirically that music can indeed keep you company by facilitating imagined social interactions.
‘Music appears to act as a catalyst for social imagination,’ Dr Herff said. ‘Even without words or voices, it can trigger thoughts of connection, warmth and companionship.’ ‘Whether we’re celebrating or grieving, music is something we can turn to,’ Dr Herff said. ‘This study shows that beyond shaping our emotions, music can also shape our thoughts and imagination, highlighting that music can indeed be good company.’
Dr Herff said the findings offer new insight into how music can shape higher order cognitive processes like imagination. The team hopes that the finding may help develop low-cost, easily accessible ways of systematically using music to alleviate feelings of loneliness, especially in times of isolation such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and complement existing recreational, artistic and professional usages of imagination.”
Read more about this fascinating study from the University of Sydney