#University of Oulu

[palestineunioulu]

[blur-from-the-north]

June 14, 2023. Oulu, Finland. Nikon D780, AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G.

University of Oulu Botanical Gardens

[anirobot]

RESEARCH ARTICLE:

Museum specimens of a landlocked pinniped reveal recent loss of genetic diversity and unexpected population connections

University of Oulu

[edu-all]

Equality and diversity at the University of Oulu #34

The need to work on equality and diversity is to advocate for equal treatment and prevent discrimination based on various factors such as age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, language, disability, and similar characteristics. Equality also encompasses ensuring accessibility for all individuals, promoting fairness that acknowledges and respects diversity, ensuring that…

[archaeologicalnews]

'Unusual' ancient graves found near Arctic, but no remains discovered inside, study says

Just south of the Arctic Circle, within the vast forests of northern Finland, lies a sandy field dotted with dozens of "unusual" pits.

Workers stumbled upon the site, known as Tainiaro, six decades ago, and since then, its origins have remained elusive.

But now, upon conducting a comprehensive analysis of the site, researchers have determined it is likely a sprawling hunter-gatherer cemetery dating back some 6,500 years, according to a study published on Dec. 1 in the journal Antiquity.

"Such a large cemetery at such a high northerly latitude does not necessarily fit preconceptions about prehistoric foragers in this region," researchers affiliated with Finland's University of Oulu said, adding it may be time to "recalibrate our expectations." Read more.

[mariacallous]

Oulu is five hours north from Helsinki by train and a good deal colder and darker each winter than the Finnish capital. From November to March its 220,000 residents are lucky to see daylight for a couple of hours a day and temperatures can reach the minus 30s. However, this is not the reason I sense a darkening of the Finnish dream that brought me here six years ago.

In 2018, moving to Finland seemed like a no-brainer. One year earlier I had met my Finnish partner while working away in Oulu. My adopted home of Italy, where I had lived for 10 years, had recently elected a coalition government with the far-right Matteo Salvini as interior minister, while my native UK had voted for Brexit. Given Finland’s status as a beacon of progressive values, I boarded a plane, leaving my lecturing job and friends behind.

Things have gone well. My partner and I both have stable teaching contracts, me at a university where my mostly Finnish colleagues are on the whole friendlier than the taciturn cliche that persists of Finns (and which stands in puzzling contradiction to their status as the world’s happiest people).

Notwithstanding this, I feel a sense of unease as Finland’s prime minister Petteri Orpo’s rightwing coalition government has set about slashing welfare and capping public sector pay. Even on two teachers’ salaries my partner and I have felt the sting of inflation as goods have increased by 20% in three years. With beer now costing €8 or more in a city centre pub, going out becomes an ever rarer expense.

Those worse off than us face food scarcity. A survey conducted by the National Institute for Health and Welfare found 25% of students struggling to afford food, while reductions in housing benefit mean tenants are being forced to move or absorb the shortfall in rent payments. There are concerns that many unemployed young people could become homeless.

Healthcare is faring little better. Finland’s two-tier system means that while civil servants and local government employees (including teachers) paradoxically enjoy private health cover, many other people face long waiting lists. Not having dental cover on my university’s plan, I called for a public dental appointment in April. I was put on callback and received a text message stating I’d be contacted when the waiting list reopened. Six months later, I am still waiting. A few years ago I could expect to wait two months at most.

The current government, formed by Orpo’s National Coalition party (NCP) last year in coalition with the far-right Finns party, the Swedish People’s party of Finland and the Christian Democrats, has been described as “the most rightwing” Finland has ever seen – a position it appears to relish.

Deputy prime minister and finance minister Riikka Purra – the Finns’ party leader – has been linked to racist and sometimes violent comments made online back in 2008. The party’s xenophobia is clearly influencing policymaking and affecting migrants. As a foreigner, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to feeling a certain chill as anti-immigrant rhetoric ramps up.

A survey by the organisation Specialists in Finland last year found that most highly qualified workers would consider leaving Finland if the government’s planned tightening of visa requirements went ahead (that proposal, which extended residence time required for Finnish citizenship from four to as many as eight years has now become law). Luckily, I am a permanent resident under the Brexit agreement.

With the coalition intent on ending Finland’s long history of welfarism in just one term, there is a risk (and hope among progressives) that it may go too far, inviting a backlash. We arguably saw signs of this in the European election in the summer, when Li Andersson won the highest number of votes for an EU election candidate in Finland. Andersson, who was education minister in Sanna Marin’s former centre-left coalition government (which lost to the NCP in April 2023), ran on a progressive red-green ticket of increased wealth equality and measures to tackle the climate crisis. She has also been critical of emergency laws blocking asylum seekers from crossing Finland’s eastern border, arguing that it contravenes human rights obligations.

Andersson’s party, the Left Alliance, chose a new leader this month, the charismatic feminist author Minja Koskela, who was elected to Helsinki’s council in 2021 after a period as secretary of the Feminist party, and as a member of parliament in 2023. Koskela argues: “People are widely frustrated with the government’s discriminatory policy and cuts to culture, social and health services, education and people’s livelihood. It is possible to turn this frustration into action.” (Full disclosure: I’m a member of the party and have helped coordinate its local approach to immigrants.)

It remains to be seen if she can build on Andersson’s EU success. Although the popular media-savvy figure appears to relish the challenge of turning the party into an election winner, Koskela faces a huge challenge. The party struggles to poll at more than 10% nationally, aside from a brief high of 11% in July. A place in government is nonetheless possible. But Marin’s Social Democratic party (SDP) of Finland (now led by Antti Lindtman), has topped the national opinion polls 12 out of 14 times since April 2023.

Meanwhile, the Finns party is polling at 16%, down from the 20.1% vote they gained in the election. These figures point to one thing: another possible SDP-led coalition government in the next parliament by the summer of 2027. This would probably include the Left Alliance and the Green League, among others. And such a coalition would aim to undo a lot of the damage done by the right.

But until then, there will be more damage to come. So while there is clearly hope for an end in sight to the country’s political darkness three years hence, this will bring little solace now to poor people, migrants, and the squeezed middle class as the long Finnish winter closes in.

[doctorwincest]

Looking for participants in an academic survey!

Are you, like me, a fellow fan fiction ethusiast and does your sexuality fall somewhere under the asexuality umbrella? In that case, you may be what I'm looking for!

I am university lecturer in University of Oulu, Finland. I hold a PhD in contemporary Literature and am conducting a research project on how asexual fans view or engage with erotic or pornographic fan fiction. I am looking for all participants over the age of 16 to fill out a short survey on the subject. Please note that by submitting your answers, you give your consent for your data to be utilized for research purposes. The survey may be filled out completely anonymously. The survey is conducted both in English and in Finnish and may be filled out in either language. For more information and to participate in the survey, please follow either the English version link here https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/F85DFC0813F0C45F or the Finnish version here https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/F876B5104D423614

[mindblowingscience]

A mysterious ancient graveyard that has flummoxed Finnish archaeologists for decades could be one of the largest Stone Age cemeteries in northern Europe, a new study suggests. Located on the edge of the Arctic Circle in Tainiaro, a place of long and bitter winters, the site was first unearthed in 1959 and studied again in the late 1980s, but the findings of those excavations never saw the light of day. Thousands of artifacts were described, and archeologists later discovered the sandy soils were tinged with ash and streaked red with ochre. But no human remains have ever been found in the dozens of shallow pits at Tainiaro, leaving researchers to wonder what brought people to congregate on the forested shores of an almost-Arctic estuary. Now, a new analysis of the site, led by archaeologist Aki Hakonen of the University of Oulu in Finland, strengthens the idea that the site was used as a graveyard, with up to 200 possible burial pits dug some 6,500 years ago by Stone Age communities otherwise known for their nomadic forager lifestyle. "Even though no skeletal material has survived at Tainiaro," Hakonen and colleagues write in their paper, "Tainiaro should, in our opinion, be considered to be a cemetery site."

Continue Reading.

[nanoa1foryou]

Okay, so couple of weeks ago Blind Channel did an interview with Kaaoszine and they shared some fun little stories about a lot of their older songs, one of which was Darker Than Black.

So, what did Niko have to say about it?

Well.

This song they got into a competition for YleX, the winner of which got entered into their radio playlist. The winner was picked by popular vote. And they were up against Shiraz Lane.

And apparently Niko went and voted for Darker Than Black on every computer at the University of Oulu campus, because he was studying there at the time and so he could do that.

Blind Channel won and this was one of their bigger breaks early on as they got their music properly on the radio for it.

[have-you-been-here]

University of Oulu botanical garden, Oulu, Finland

[blur-from-the-north]

June 14, 2023. Oulu, Finland. Nikon D780, AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G.

University of Oulu Botanical Gardens

[pianonoita]

Help preserve the teaching of ancient material culture at the University of Helsinki!

If you're a student, a researcher or a teacher of Latin, Greek, or classical archaeology, or just generally interested in classics, this is for you!

University of Helsinki is planning to disband the teaching of Ancient Culture, starting from the summer of 2024. This includes the subjects of Greek and Roman archaeology and material culture of the ancient world; a discipline previously known as classical archaeology. The signatories of this petition demand that the regular contact teaching of Ancient Culture or classical archaeology will continue at the University of Helsinki, and this way in Finland. The optimal solution to this would be the re-opening of the position of university lecturer of classical archaeology, and selecting a new lecturer to this position. This way the continuation of teaching will be ensured in a discipline that ultimately is one of the cornerstones of European civilisation.

The teaching of material cultures of the ancient world supports the studies of philology, other humanistic disciplines, and the understanding of European history of civilisation and cultural heritage. Competent teaching has been a requirement for the high-profile projects taking place at the University of Helsinki, and the research at Finnish Institutes in Rome, Athens, and Middle East. The experts of the field have made it possible to organise various popular exhibitions that have brought research of antiquity and its legacy into the knowledge of larger audiences.  

The teaching of classical archaeology first began in Finland in the 1780s. At the University of Helsinki, the basic studies (15 study points) have been available for students since the early 1980s, and the intermediate studies (30 study points) since the early 1990s. After the discontinuation of the lectureship of classical archaeology in Oulu, the University of Helsinki offered regular contact teaching of classical archaeology as the only instance in the country between 2014-2018. Until 2018, classical archaeology also had the status of an independent discipline. Since then, teaching has been organised with multiple projects from different disciplines, and students have been able to complete two study modules of 15 and 30 study points, or 3-6 courses respectively.

Now the university plans to disband the teaching and discontinue the study modules. The courses have been extremely popular among the students. The arguments used in support of not opening the position of lecturer of classical archaeology in 2018 included the excellent resources of the discipline in relation to number of students. Now the decision to discontinue the teaching is supported by claims that the discipline is unable to provide a long-term solution to the unstable teaching situation, and students do not complete the entire study modules, only isolated courses. Re-opening the position of lecturer of classical archaeology is the only long-term solution that benefits both students and the university; it secures competent teaching, enables the completion of study modules, and brings stability to the uncertain situation that has lasted for years.

By discontinuing the teaching of ancient material culture and disbanding the study modules, the University of Helsinki debases both teaching and research, and erodes its own status as a European elite university that regards sophistication and civilisation as its key values. This decision will drive away both students and international experts, as well as funding for research projects. By opening the position of lecturer of classical archaeology and selecting a new lecturer to this position, University of Helsinki can ensure the continuation of expertise appreciated in the academic world, in Finland, and in the international arenas.

More information on the history of teaching ancient material culture and classical archaeology in Finland: http://www.taidehistorianseura.fi/tiedotteet/taidehistoriallisia-tutkimuksia-50/

Statement by the student organisation of Ancient Languages and Cultures, Symposion ry: https://rostrasymposion.wixsite.com/rostra/post/symposion-ry-n-kannanotto-antiikin-kulttuurin-opetuksen-puolesta

Please consider signing the petition and spread the word! This would be a huge tragedy for the teaching of classical philology and archaeology in Finland! The decision is not yet final, so we still have a chance to make a difference!

The petition site is unfortunately only in Finnish. The site will ask your name and email address to sign the petition, but you can choose not to share your name publicly. Your email address will not be published anywhere. You can also leave your own comments.

Thank you so much for helping! <3

-Sofia, the chair of Symposion, student organisation of classics at the University of Helsinki

[edu-all]

Value Competence

School’s values and the teacher’s ethical principles in your own studies and in teaching At the University of Oulu, there are ethical principles, link. rules and regulations openly available for stake holders, link. For example, as a teacher I have read and understand these rules and regulations: the right to a safe and equal learning and working environment. In fact, from personal experience…

[bpod-bpod]

Sizing-up Nests

Around 1 in 8 pregnancies end in miscarriage. For pregnancy to take hold, the womb and embryo need to interact successfully during implantation. Researchers have investigated this in mice using a novel method 3DMOUSEneST — a type of microscopy called label-free higher harmonic generation. With this implantation could be imaged in 3D, homing in on the formation of the decidual nest – a structure along the inner womb lining that helps the embryo attach – and on the growing embryo and structures that support it. Using mice genetically engineered to have implantation defects, the team found that decidual nest volume indicates the likelihood of early pregnancy progressing, with higher volumes seen in healthy mouse embryos (pictured, left column) compared with the defective model mice (remaining columns). This provides a new tool to investigate fertility issues and embryo death in a mouse model.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

Image from work by Audrey Savolainen and colleagues

Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Development, August 2024

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

[rpf-bat]

BLESS ME FATHER, I’VE BEEN BAD

Pairings: Joonas Porko/Tommi Lalli, Joonas Porko/Joel Hokka

Word Count: 3,372

Summary: While his boyfriend Joel carries out a sinful mission in Helsinki, the demon Joonas travels to Oulu. Satan has commanded him to seduce a handsome priest there, named Tommi. The same priest that the angel Olli once loved.

Joonas wasn’t expecting the target of his seduction to have a such a dangerous, dominant side.

Part 4 of the Angels & Demons AU

Written for Blind Channel Blood Mass 2023

Tags: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - Priests, Priest Kink, Caning, Spanking, BDSM, Dirty Talk, Polyamory, Inappropriate Erections

[lnights]

Brought to you by Niko admitting to using every computer at the University of Oulu to vote for themselves against Shiraz Lane