FTE Global 2021 in pictures – our most important, ambitious and successful ever event
The following article was published by Future Travel Experience
Take a look at our visual round-up from the 15th anniversary Future Travel Experience Global, which took place in Las Vegas on 7-9 December 2021. The 15th anniversary Future Travel Experience
Take a look at our visual round-up from the 15th anniversary Future Travel Experience Global, which took place in Las Vegas on 7-9 December 2021.
The 15th anniversary Future Travel Experience Global, hosted by McCarran International Airport, took place on 7-9 December 2021 in Las Vegas. Over 770 attendees gathered in-person for the first time in over 18 months to learn, collaborate and be inspired on their next moves to transform their organisations’ passenger experience and business performance strategies. The three-day event, themed “New Approaches for a New World”, featured inspirational keynotes, four conference tracks, a cutting-edge exhibition, interactive workshops, technical briefings, a Biometrics & Digital Identity Summit, guided tours of the TSA Innovation Checkpoint and Virgin Hyperloop sites, a plethora of networking opportunities, and the FTE Airline/Airport Transformation Power List Americas 2021. Here we round up some of the highlights from the show.
An exhibition of cutting-edge products and services from household names through to start-ups
More than 50 of the most progressive aviation industry suppliers showcased their latest solutions and products, ranging from biometrics, touchless and self-service tech to baggage handling, inflight and security systems. The exhibition featured some of the biggest players in the industry right now including NEC, Collins Aerospace, SITA, Vision-Box, Idemia, BagsID, Analogic, Copenhagen Optimization, Elenium Automation, Embross, ICM Airport Technics (an Amadeus company), Lufthansa Systems, Materna and many more. The exhibition floor also included a dedicated Startup Zone featuring some of the most progressive new suppliers on the market, including Assaia, Airsiders, femPAQ, Identy, Corsight AI and UCPlaces.
“It’s now the CES for aviation”: LAS welcome and future-focused keynotes
The FTE Global 2021 Conference opened with welcome addresses from Daniel Coleman, Founder and CEO, Future Travel Experience, and Rosemary A. Vassiliadis, Director of Aviation, Clark County Department of Aviation. Vassiliadis opened up by saying FTE Global “is now the CES for aviation”, then explained that Las Vegas McCarran International Airport has seen a strong return of demand from domestic leisure travellers, with more non-stop domestic routes than were served in December 2019. International travel is also cautiously coming back. “It’s not just about recovery, it’s about evolution. We’ve embraced this at LAS with technology and smart innovations. We opened the Innovation Checkpoint in 2019. LAS is also the only US airport to use biometrics to process 100% of its international passengers, and we have biometric bag drop with Spirit Airlines.”
The Opening Keynote was a truly inspirational FTE Global Exclusive: “The Virgin view of the future of travel, and how their efforts across air, sea, land and space could interconnect and help forge new industry approaches.” Mariana Fonseca Medina, VP of eCommerce, Virgin Voyages; Patrice Gordon, Commercial Strategy Development Director, Virgin Atlantic; and Diana Zhou, Senior Director of Global Business Development, Virgin Hyperloop, delivered a progressive vision of travel in 2035 focused on sustainability, technology, customer experience and loyalty: “It’s 2035, travel is not the same as it was. It’s smarter, more innovative, and easier. We know that the customer experience is really the key to that.”
It was a packed auditorium for the next Exclusive Keynote from Christina Cassotis, CEO of Pittsburgh International Airport, operated by Allegheny County Airport Authority, who shared how the airport “cracked the code on people, process and value to get the big stuff done”. Cassotis detailed the new $1.4 billion terminal designed and to be constructed post-pandemic, a recently commissioned Microgrid powering the campus, Neighborhood 91’s launch, and 10,000 square feet of terminal space dedicated as the xBridge to test materials, technology and innovation.
Delegates heard from one of the industry’s smartest minds – Matt Muta, Vice President Innovation, Delta Air Lines – with fascinating insights into how the airline is advancing the bold vision unveiled at CES in 2020, and what’s next as it continues to innovate to pull the future of flying forward. “Innovation is a pillar for Delta – it’s everything that we do, and we are very customer-centric,” he said. “We’re bringing our vision for the seamless digital-led experience to life through new tools and features. We think there are technologies and experiences happening in other industries that we can bring in to the airline industry. We continually innovate and improve, adjusting to changing times and customer expectations.”
“Our Next Guest Needs No Introduction…”
A popular feature of FTE Global is the traditional “Our Next Guest Needs No Introduction…” segment. This year, Alison Taylor, Chief Customer Officer, American Airlines, was interviewed on stage by Dr. Joe Leader, CEO, APEX & IFSA. Commenting on the transformative actions that American Airlines is taking, Taylor said: “During the pandemic we’ve been working to ensure that our 787-9 and A321XLR interiors are going to be best-in-class. We need to be cutting-edge and we need our interiors to not just be reflected on the aircraft, but also in the lounge.”
Future Airports Conference
The Future Airports Conference focused on how airports should look and operate in the post-COVID-19 world; baggage innovation; progressive approaches to airport design, construction and sustainability; touchless travel; biometrics and digital identity; and using technology and innovation to meet new efficiency, commercial, safety and health considerations at the airport. A candid discussion explored new business models and the ways in which all stakeholders can work more effectively together to achieve future-proof designs, enhance commercial success, get technology choices right, smooth processes, reduce costs, lower emissions and better serve passengers. Moderator Antoine Rostworowski, Senior Vice President, Programmes and Commercial Services, ACI World, was joined by David Wilson, Chief Operations Officer, Oman Airports Management Company; Julie Rath, VP, Customer Experience & Reservations, American Airlines; Augusto Santos, Head of Design and Innovation Team, Collins Aerospace; and Paul Puopolo, Executive Vice President of Innovation, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
A key session in the Future Airports Conference focused on using technology and innovation to meet new efficiency, commercial, safety and health considerations at the airport. Ryan Ghee, Head of Strategy & Development, FTE Innovation & Startup Hub, led a panel of industry experts sharing a range of dynamic approaches they are exploring to help airlines, airports and other industry stakeholders evolve their approaches to improve overall business performance. The panellists included: Idar Sørgjerd, Manager, Baggage Handling Service, Technical Infrastructure & Innovations, Avinor; Kevin Kleist, Emerging Trends Advisor, Southwest Airlines; Daniel McCoy, Chief Innovation Officer, Transportation Security Administration (TSA); Lynette DuJohn, VP Innovation and Chief Information Officer, Vancouver Airport Authority; Michael Tan, President, Scarabee Aviation Group; and Nick Scott, Director of Planning, United Airlines.
The real industry “Maverick” makes a rare appearance at our 15th anniversary show
Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, returned to the stage for the Day 1 closing session, in which she interviewed Maury Gallagher, Chairman and CEO, Allegiant Airlines. They discussed the airline’s unique-to-industry focus on leisure travel, providing affordable, non-stop flights to premier vacation destinations, as well as Allegiant’s evolution as an integrated travel company, increasingly offering lodging, rental cars and access to special experiences to customers. It was a fascinating discussion, with a true industry “Maverick” with a refreshing take on leadership and nurturing talent. He revealed he’s just bought a racing team as he just loves competing and FTE wishes him all the best with that new venture.
Digital & Innovation Conference
The Digital & Innovation Conference provided a deep dive into the technologies and trends that are reshaping the industry, with high-level inspiration provided by a number of the most forward-thinking organisations in air transport. A keynote session moderated by Chris Runde, Corporate Strategy & Innovation, Ross & Baruzzini, and featuring Naashom Marx, Sr. Manager of Strategic Innovation, CVG Airport; Rick Belliotti, Director, Innovation and Customer Experience Design, San Diego International Airport; and Lynette DuJohn, VP Innovation and CIO, Vancouver Airport Authority proved to be a catalyst for fresh thinking, with autonomous vehicles, touchless tech and digital twins among the examples of innovation shared from the stage.
Running alongside this was another top-level keynote conference session, with Charles Duncan, President, Swoop & EVP, WestJet; Dr. Bjoern Becker, Head of Future Intercontinental Experience Program, Lufthansa Group; and Brian Loo, Senior Director of Operations Development, Meow Wolf providing inspiration from inside and outside of the air transport industry.
Among the many other highlights was a panel exploring how airlines can leverage data, digital platforms and innovation to evolve, create new business models and thrive in the post-COVID-19 world. Moderated by APEX/IFSA CEO Dr. Joe Leader, the session brought together innovators from the likes of Air Canada, JetBlue Technology Ventures, Breeze Airways, Tata Communications, Global Crossing Airlines and Lufthansa Systems, who all provided expert insight. An exclusive reveal at the event came from Dee Evans, Director of Information Systems, Breeze Airways, who unveiled that the airline has decided to manufacture, deploy and provide the technology for its own check-in kiosks in the future, which was a cost-focused decision.
Meanwhile, a hybrid session provided a platform for PLAY, Plan3, Japan Airlines, Ditto and oneworld to address the topic of new approaches to digital innovation resulting from the pandemic, with on-stage presenters joined by online speakers presenting live from Europe and Asia.
The first-ever FTE Air MobilityX Conference
FTE Global 2021 hosted the inaugural Air MobilityX conference, which provided a platform for the industry to share and explore the very latest developments in this fast-moving area and to help delegates understand how they should adapt their strategies, infrastructure and systems to take advantage of this major change in transportation. Moderated by highly respected subject matter expert Robin Riedel, Partner at McKinsey & Company, the conference kicked off with fascinating case studies delivered by Joseph Alesia, SVP Corporate Development, Ferrovial Airports, and Will Nicholas, Head of US Business Development, Lilium; as well as Japan Airlines VP, Global Marketing & Customer Experience Akira Mitsumasu, all of whom offered rich insights into the impressive work that is being undertaken today in the field of advanced air mobility.
Following an interactive workshop led by Porsche Consulting exploring what the mobility ecosystem of the future will look like and how air transport industry stakeholders can successfully integrate with it, a highly engaging panel discussion, featuring JetBlue Technology Ventures, Skyports, Avports, CVG Airport and Hyundai Urban Air Mobility explored how the air transport sector should adapt facilities and adjust strategies to maximise the opportunities presented through new urban air mobility.
Attendees also had a unique opportunity to participate in interactive workshops led by Volocopter’s Vertiports Operations Manager, Velis Eleftheriou, as well as Paragon VTOL Aerospace Chief Visionary Officer Dwight Smith, and Bryant Walker, ACM / Aviation Administrator, City of Brownsville – Department of Aviation.
Ancillary Conference
FTE Global 2021 also featured a dedicated Ancillary conference, which explored strategies for enhancing customer experiences, while boosting revenue opportunities at every point of the journey. In a scene-setting presentation FTE’s Ancillary Ambassador Jay Sorensen, President, IdeaWorksCompany, outlined the findings of his latest report, which highlights how the industry has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and provides ideas on how revenue can be increased. Sorensen was later joined on stage by Dr. Joe Leader, CEO, APEX/IFSA; Dr. Bjoern Becker, Head of Future Intercontinental Experience Program, Lufthansa; Ole Orvér, Chief Commercial Officer, Finnair; Mariana Fonseca Medina, VP of eCommerce, Virgin Voyages; and Scott Kichline, Assistant Director – Aviation: Business / Commercial Development, McCarran International Airport, to provide their expert perspectives on the future of the airline ancillary business.
Later in the day, Kian T. Gould, Chairman of the Board, Omnevo, provided an overview on how digital ancillary growth can become a driver for recovery. Also focusing on commercial innovation and the future of e-commerce were speakers from the likes of Vantage Airport Group, Spirit Airlines, JFK International Air Terminal, AirFi, MAG USA, and Transformidy.
FTE Global Welcome Drinks & Networking Reception
After being kept apart for 18 months, this year FTE brought its renowned social programme to the next level to ensure maximum networking opportunities. To kick off the show, delegates were invited to a Welcome Drinks Reception in the exhibition hall, where they were able to enjoy demonstrations in the exhibition and network with their peers. This was followed by an Opening Night Mixer at the quirky Beerhaus Las Vegas venue, where attendees were able to grab a cold brew, play some bar games and network on the outdoor patio. Day 2 of the show culminated with a spectacular Networking Reception, kindly hosted by McCarran International Airport and sponsored by MAG USA, which took place on the Ironwood Terrace at the ARIA Resort, providing delegates and exhibitors with an unparalleled outdoor nightlife experience. Las Vegas’ most electrifying Elton John tribute offered an authentic performance which highlighted the life and career of the legendary entertainer with extravagantly colourful costumes and Elton’s greatest hits.
FTE Airline/Airport Transformation Power List Americas winners announced
A highlight during the Networking Reception was the FTE Airline/Airport Transformation Power List Americas awards ceremony. The most transformative change enablers within the airline and airport industry in the Americas region were recognised for their outstanding efforts to embrace innovation in order to recover and thrive following the COVID-19 crisis. A total of 20 leading figures from airlines and airports across the region were recognised for their achievements, and three in each category were awarded with an ‘Outstanding Achievement’ trophy. The winners in the Airline category were Matt Muta, VP, Innovation, Delta Air Lines; Rocky Wiggins, SVP & Chief Information Officer, Spirit Airlines; and Maya Leibman, EVP – Chief Information Officer, American Airlines; while Brian Cobb, Chief Innovation Officer, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport; Lynette DuJohn, VP Innovation & CIO, Vancouver Airport Authority; and Paul Puopolo, EVP of Innovation, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport won the awards in the Airport category. You can read the full report from the Awards here.
New sustainable baggage initiative unveiled
Attendees at the Networking Reception were also introduced to the unveiling of a new initiative focused on an often-overlooked part of the travel industry’s carbon footprint – baggage. NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants) and BagsID Network, a Dutch-based software company for computer-vision baggage identification, have partnered to initiate the Green Baggage Alliance – focused on reducing the environmental impact that travelling with baggage has on our planet. Green Baggage Alliance is a membership-based consortium of companies, educational institutions and other stakeholders who have an interest in improving the travel industry’s carbon footprint. Annual membership helps invest in research into the impact of luggage on the travel industry, provides a platform for more visibility and fewer barriers for all industry stakeholders, and inspires and incentivises the industry to become more transparent. Member benefits include exclusive educational resources like webinars and articles, networking opportunities, access to partner discounts and promotions, and more. Presenting the initiative was Roeland Visser, Airport Consultant, NACO & Manager, InterVISTAS Consulting, who the following day also led an interactive workshop on sustainable baggage handling to familiarise attendees with the new initiative.
Guided tours of the TSA Advancing the Checkpoint Environment (ACE) initiative at LAS
Exclusively for FTE Global attendees, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Innovation Task Force led guided tours, attended by over 225 participants, to showcase the latest iteration of the one-of-a-kind future checkpoint site running at McCarran International Airport (LAS), which is trialling new machines, and new approaches, to gather data and feedback on whether the technology is something TSA wants to use at airports nationwide. Following the tour, TSA’s Austin Gould, Assistant Administrator, RCA, and Matt Gilkeson, Director, Innovation Task Force, briefed delegates on the organisation’s future plans around the evolution of security processes.
FTE Innovation & Startup Hub activities – Virgin Hyperloop tour, startup pitches and more
Corporate Partners of the FTE Innovation & Startup Hub – the world’s first air transport innovation network – had access to some unique and exclusive activities at FTE Global, the highlight of which was a guided tour of the incredible Virgin Hyperloop Test and Development Site in Nevada. Located 30 miles north of Las Vegas, the site has been home to numerous hyperloop firsts and over 500 tests, including the world’s first passenger run in 2020. On the tour, our Corporate Partners – including innovators from the likes of CVG Airport, Southwest Airlines, Tampa International Airport, American Airlines, Neom, Marubeni Corporation and Team ABC – were given a behind-the-scenes look at the components that bring hyperloop together, including the 500-metre tube and track, the control room and more, while Virgin Hyperloop executives were onsite to lead the tour and answer questions. In addition, six pioneering Startup Zone exhibitors – Assaia, Airsiders, femPAQ, Identy, Corsight AI and UCPlaces – had the opportunity to deliver quick-fire pitches to our Corporate Partners, shedding light on how they are using technologies including artificial intelligence, machine learning and biometrics to help enhance the customer experience and operational efficiency.
U.S. CBP Briefing & Technical Overview Workshop
FTE Global 2021 was also complemented by a U.S. CBP workshop during which experts from CBP and guest speakers led in-depth technical sessions in an interactive environment on the best approaches to rolling out a biometrics programme. Attendees heard briefings from Cheryl Davies, Area Port Director, Los Angeles International Airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Jason Lim, Identity Management Capability Manager, Transportation Security Administration (TSA); Patrick Sgueglia, Product Manager – Regulatory Services & Biometrics, Lufthansa; and Nael Samha, Acting Executive Director – Targeting and Analysis Systems Program Directorate, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
First in-person FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group meeting & Baggage Innovation Summit
Following a number of online FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group (BIWG) meetings, the first face-to-face meeting took place at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport on 7 December. Members focused on how LAS is answering the challenges of a modern baggage operation by pioneering common use and RFID baggage tracking in its Terminal 1, whilst championing modern build facilities and flexibility in Terminal 3. The opportunities for further innovative solutions in these systems were explored in the context of how themes of the BIWG can be applied to the operations, and throughout the meeting the key baggage operational staff were present to explain the reasoning behind design decisions. Day 2 of the conference also featured a dedicated Baggage Innovation Summit, led by FTE’s Head of Baggage Transformation, Andrew Price. The summit presented an industry compliant baggage broker, which makes it easier to access airport and airline data, and opens the door for collaborative projects and data visualisation solutions, such as those presented by FTE Global exhibitor Copenhagen Optimization. The broker takes us from messaging based on 1980s teletype technology to a cloud based, containerised world of scalable implementation. The summit was the first output from the BIWG meetings, which will continue throughout 2022.
Interactive Workshops, Co-creation Forums and Jump Seat Debates
As part of FTE’s efforts to be an industry change catalyst, we once again championed industry collaboration through a number of Workshops, Co-creation Forums and Jumpseat Debates. These interactive sessions provided a discussion platform for various stakeholders to explore how they can collaborate in key areas to enhance the end-to-end passenger experience and improve operations. A workshop led by Dave Wilson, Director, Airport Innovation, Port of Seattle, brought together attendees to share the key lessons learned from recent virtual queuing efforts at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Meanwhile, David Wilson, Chief Operations Officer, Oman Airports, hosted a Co-creation session on nurturing future talent for your organisation. Another highlight was a highly engaging workshop on how the Virgin Group is enabling seamless travel across land, sea, air and space, led by Mariana Fonseca Medina and Billy Bohan-Chinique, Virgin Voyages; and Diana Zhou and Sara Luchian, Virgin Hyperloop. In addition, Clyde Hutchinson, General Partner, Team ABC, and Amy Malaki, Director Partnerships and Policy at SkyNRG, hosted a thought-provoking Jump Seat Debate around sustainability, exploring the role that startups, airlines, airports and alternative fuel companies will have in supplying fuel for the next transport industrial revolution.
Mark your diary: FTE Global 2022 to take place on 6-9 September 2022, Las Vegas – be part of our biggest ever show
Future Travel Experience Global 2022 will return to Las Vegas from 6-9 September 2022. Mark your diary today! The following companies are already confirmed to exhibit:
Former Project Veritas & O’Keefe Media Group operative and Pfizer formulation analyst scientist Justin Leslie revealed previously unpublished recordings showing Pfizer’s top vaccine researchers discussing major concerns surrounding COVID-19 vaccines. Leslie delivered these recordings to Veritas in late 2021, but they were never published:
Principal scientist at Pfizer, Kanwall Gill in 2021:
“We had no idea how it’s going to look like. MRNA vaccines have been there for 50 years, but nothing went to clinical trial because MRNA have been known to have side effects.”
Featured in Leslie’s footage is Kanwal Gill, a principal scientist at Pfizer. Gill was weary of MRNA technology given its long research history yet lack of approved commercial products. She called the vaccines “sneaky,” suggesting latent side effects could emerge in time.
Gill goes on to illustrate how the vaccine formulation process was dramatically rushed under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization and adds that profit incentives likely played a role:
Pfizer's principal scientist in 2021:
“It takes 10 year for a vaccine to come out. It takes years of observations... we are doing everything at the same time."
"It’s going to affect my heart, and I’m going to die. And nobody’s talking about that."
Leslie recorded another colleague, Pfizer’s pharmaceutical formulation scientist Ramin Darvari, who raised the since-validated concern that repeat booster intake could damage the cardiovascular system:
Pfizer's pharmaceutical formulation scientist, Ramin Darvari, in 2021:
“They’re engineering it specifically for me to take the next one, so increasing my consumption."
“It’s going to affect my heart, and I’m going to die. And nobody’s talking about that.”
None of these claims will be shocking to hear in 2024, but it is telling that high-level Pfizer researchers were discussing these topics in private while the company assured the public of “no serious safety concerns” upon the jab’s release:
Vaccine for Children is a Different Formulation
Leslie sent me a little-known FDA-Pfizer conference — a 7-hour Zoom meeting published in tandem with the approval of the vaccine for 5 – 11 year-olds — during which Pfizer’s vice presidents of vaccine research and development, Nicholas Warne and William Gruber, discussed a last-minute change to the vaccine’s “buffer” — from “PBS” to “Tris” — to improve its shelf life. For about 30 seconds of these 7 hours, Gruber acknowledged that the new formula was NOT the one used in clinical trials (emphasis mine):
“The studies were done using the same volume… but contained the PBS buffer. We obviously had extensive consultations with the FDA and it was determined that the clinical studies were not required because, again, the LNP and the MRNA are the same and the behavior — in terms of reactogenicity and efficacy — are expected to be the same.”
According to Leslie, the tweaked “buffer” dramatically changed the temperature needed for storage: “Before they changed this last step of the formulation, the formula was to be kept at -80 degrees Celsius. After they changed the last step, we kept them at 2 to 8 degrees celsius,” Leslie told me.
The claims are backed up in the referenced video presentation:
I’m no vaccinologist but an 80-degree temperature delta — and a 5x shelf-life in a warmer climate — seems like a significant change that might warrant clinical trials before commercial release.
Despite this information technically being public, there has been virtually no media scrutiny or even coverage — and in fact, most were told the vaccine for children was the same formula but just a smaller dose — which is perhaps due to a combination of the information being buried within a 7-hour jargon-filled presentation and our media being totally dysfunctional.
Bohemian Grove?
Leslie’s 2-hour long documentary on his experience at both Pfizer and O’Keefe’s companies concludes on an interesting note: James O’Keefe attended an outing at the Bohemian Grove.
Leslie offers this photo of James’ Bohemian Grove “GATE” slip as evidence, left on his work desk atop a copy of his book, “American Muckraker”:
My thoughts on the Bohemian Grove: my good friend’s dad was its general manager for several decades. From what I have gathered through that connection, the Bohemian Grove is not some version of the Illuminati, at least not in the institutional sense.
Do powerful elites hangout there? Absolutely. Do they discuss their plans for the world while hanging out there? I’m sure it has happened. Do they have a weird ritual with a giant owl? Yep, Alex Jones showed that to the world.
My perspective is based on conversations with my friend and my belief that his father is not lying to him. I could be wrong and am open to evidence — like if boxer Ryan Garcia decides to produce evidence regarding his rape claims — and I do find it a bit strange the club would invite O’Keefe who is notorious for covertly filming, but Occam’s razor would lead me to believe the club is — as it was under my friend’s dad — run by boomer conservatives the extent of whose politics include disliking wokeness, immigration, and Biden (common subjects of O’Keefe’s work).
Therefore, I don’t find O’Keefe’s visit to the club indicative that he is some sort of Operation Mockingbird asset as Leslie tries to depict (however Mockingbird is a 100% legitimate conspiracy). I have also met James several times and even came close to joining OMG. While I disagreed with James on the significance of many of his stories — finding some to be overhyped and showy — I never doubted his conviction in them.
As for why Leslie’s story was squashed… all my sources told me it was to avoid jail time for Veritas executives.
Feel free to watch Leslie’s full documentary here and decide for yourself.
Fun fact — Justin Leslie was also the operative behind this mega-viral Project Veritas story where Pfizer’s director of R&D claimed the company was privately mutating COVID-19 behind closed doors:
BREAKING: @Pfizer Exploring "Mutating" COVID-19 Virus For New Vaccines
"Don't tell anyone this...There is a risk...have to be very controlled to make sure this virus you mutate doesn't create something...the way that the virus started in Wuhan, to be honest."#DirectedEvolutionpic.twitter.com/xaRvlD5qTo
“[…] our findings support the hypothesis that the intrauterine environment, particularly essential and non-essential metals, affect epigenetic aging biomarkers across the life course.”
Credit: 2024 Bozack et al.
“[…] our findings support the hypothesis that the intrauterine environment, particularly essential and non-essential metals, affect epigenetic aging biomarkers across the life course.”
BUFFALO, NY- March 12, 2024 – A new research paper was published inAging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as “Aging (Albany NY)” and “Aging-US” by Web of Science) Volume 16, Issue 4, entitled, “Associations of prenatal one-carbon metabolism nutrients and metals with epigenetic aging biomarkers at birth and in childhood in a US cohort.”
Epigenetic gestational age acceleration (EGAA) at birth and epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) in childhood may be biomarkers of the intrauterine environment. In this new study, researchers Anne K. Bozack, Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman, Andrea A. Baccarelli, Robert O. Wright, Diane R. Gold, Emily Oken, Marie-France Hivert, and Andres Cardenas from Stanford University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Columbia University, and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai investigated the extent to which first-trimester folate, B12, 5 essential and 7 non-essential metals in maternal circulation are associated with EGAA and EAA in early life.
“[…] we hypothesized that OCM [one-carbon metabolism] nutrients and essential metals would be positively associated with EGAA and non-essential metals would be negatively associated with EGAA. We also investigated nonlinear associations and associations with mixtures of micronutrients and metals.”
Bohlin EGAA and Horvath pan-tissue and skin and blood EAA were calculated using DNA methylation measured in cord blood (N=351) and mid-childhood blood (N=326; median age = 7.7 years) in the Project Viva pre-birth cohort. A one standard deviation increase in individual essential metals (copper, manganese, and zinc) was associated with 0.94-1.2 weeks lower Horvath EAA at birth, and patterns of exposures identified by exploratory factor analysis suggested that a common source of essential metals was associated with Horvath EAA. The researchers also observed evidence of nonlinear associations of zinc with Bohlin EGAA, magnesium and lead with Horvath EAA, and cesium with skin and blood EAA at birth. Overall, associations at birth did not persist in mid-childhood; however, arsenic was associated with greater EAA at birth and in childhood.
“Prenatal metals, including essential metals and arsenic, are associated with epigenetic aging in early life, which might be associated with future health.”
Read the full paper: DOI:https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.205602
Corresponding Author: Andres Cardenas
Corresponding Email:andres.cardenas@stanford.edu
Keywords: epigenetic age acceleration, metals, folate, B12, prenatal exposures
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About Aging:
Launched in 2009, Aging publishes papers of general interest and biological significance in all fields of aging research and age-related diseases, including cancer—and now, with a special focus on COVID-19 vulnerability as an age-dependent syndrome. Topics in Aging go beyond traditional gerontology, including, but not limited to, cellular and molecular biology, human age-related diseases, pathology in model organisms, signal transduction pathways (e.g., p53, sirtuins, and PI-3K/AKT/mTOR, among others), and approaches to modulating these signaling pathways.
Please visit our website at www.Aging-US.com and connect with us:
National insurance, income tax, VAT, capital gains tax, inheritance tax… it’s easy to get confused about the many different ways we contribute to the cost of running the country. The budget announcement is the key time each year when the government shares its financial plans with us all, and announces changes that may make a tangible difference to what you pay.
But you’ll likely be hearing a lot more about taxes in the coming months – promises to cut or raise them are an easy win (or lose) for politicians in an election year. We may even get at least one “mini-budget”.
If you’ve recently entered the workforce or the housing market, you may still be wrapping your mind around all of these terms. Here is what you need to know about the different types of taxes and how they affect you.
The UK broadly uses three ways to collect tax:
1. When you earn money
If you are an employee or own a business, taxes are deducted from your salary or profits you make. For most people, this happens in two ways: income tax, and national insurance contributions (or NICs).
If you are self-employed, you will have to pay your taxes via an annual tax return assessment. You might also have to pay taxes this way for interest you earn on savings, dividends (distribution of profits from a company or shares you own) received and most other forms of income not taxed before you get it.
VAT and excise duties are taxes on most goods and services you buy, with some exceptions like books and children’s clothing. About 20% of the total tax collected is VAT.
3. Taxes on wealth and assets
These are mainly taxes on the money you earn if you sell assets (like property or stocks) for more than you bought them for, or when you pass on assets in an inheritance. In the latter case in the UK, the recipient doesn’t pay this, it is the estate paying it out that must cover this if due. These taxes contribute only about 3% to the total tax collected.
You also likely have to pay council tax, which is set by the council you live in based on the value of your house or flat. It is paid by the user of the property, no matter if you own or rent. If you are a full-time student or on some apprenticeship schemes, you may get a deduction or not have to pay council tax at all.
This article is part of Quarter Life, a series about issues affecting those of us in our 20s and 30s. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.
Put together, these totalled almost £790 billion in 2022-23, which the government spends on public services such as the NHS, schools and social care. The government collects taxes from all sources and sets its spending plans accordingly, borrowing to make up any difference between the two.
Income tax
The amount of income tax you pay is determined by where your income sits in a series of “bands” set by the government. Almost everyone is entitled to a “personal allowance”, currently £12,570, which you can earn without needing to pay any income tax.
You then pay 20% in tax on each pound of income you earn (across all sources) from £12,570-£50,270. You pay 40% on each extra pound up to £125,140 and 45% over this. If you earn more than £100,000, the personal allowance (amount of untaxed income) starts to decrease.
If you are self-employed, the same rates apply to you. You just don’t have an employer to take this off your salary each month. Instead, you have to make sure you have enough money at the end of the year to pay this directly to the government.
The government can increase the threshold limits to adjust for inflation. This tries to ensure any wage rise you get in response to higher prices doesn’t lead to you having to pay a higher tax rate. However, the government announced in 2021 that they would freeze these thresholds until 2026 (extended now to 2028), arguing that it would help repay the costs of the pandemic.
Given wages are now rising for many to help with the cost of living crisis, this means many people will pay more income tax this coming year than they did before. This is sometimes referred to as “fiscal drag” – where lower earners are “dragged” into paying higher tax rates, or being taxed on more of their income.
National insurance
National insurance contributions (NICs) are a second “tax” you pay on your income – or to be precise, on your earned income (your salary). You don’t pay this on some forms of income, including savings or dividends, and you also don’t pay it once you reach state retirement age (currently 66).
While Jeremy Hunt, the current chancellor of the exchequer, didn’t adjust income tax meaningfully in this year’s budget, he did announce a cut to NICs. This was a surprise to many, as we had already seen rates fall from 12% to 10% on incomes higher than £242/week in January. It will now fall again to 8% from April.
While this is charged separately to income tax, in reality it all just goes into one pot with other taxes. Some, including the chancellor, say it is time to merge these two deductions and make this simpler for everyone. In his budget speech this year, Hunt said he’d like to see this tax go entirely. He thinks this isn’t fair on those who have to pay it, as it is only charged on some forms of income and on some workers.
I wouldn’t hold my breath for this to happen however, and even if it did, there are huge sums linked to NICs (nearly £180bn last year) so it would almost certainly have to be collected from elsewhere (such as via an increase in income taxes, or a lot more borrowing) to make sure the government could still balance its books.
There are likely to be further tweaks to the UK’s tax system soon, perhaps by the current government before the election – and almost certainly if there is a change of government.
Wealth taxes may be in line for a change. In the budget, the chancellor reduced capital gains taxes on sales of assets such as second properties (from 28% to 24%). These types of taxes provide only a limited amount of money to the government, as quite high thresholds apply for inheritance tax (up to £1 million if you are passing on a family home).
There are calls from many quarters though to look again at these types of taxes. Wealth inequality (the differences between total wealth held by the richest compared to the poorest) in the UK is very high (much higher than income inequality) and rising.
But how to do this effectively is a matter of much debate. A recent study suggested a one-off tax on total wealth held over a certain threshold might work. But wealth taxes are challenging to make work in practice, and both main political parties have already said this isn’t an option they are considering currently.
Andy Lymer and his colleagues at the Centre for Personal Financial Wellbeing at Aston University currently or have recently received funding for their research work from a variety of funding bodies including the UK's Money and Pension Service, the Aviva Foundation, Fair4All Finance, NEST Insight, the Gambling Commission, Vivid Housing and the ESRC, amongst others.
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