EMFSA May 2026 Newsletter Highlights
The night sky has deep cultural significance in many Indigenous knowledge systems. Stories, traditions, and astronomical knowledge are often embedded in cultural practice and environmental understanding.¹²
Published: 2 June 2026 | EMFSA
‘Unacceptable to our people’: Diverse cultural beliefs, Indigenous rights, and the future of human activities on the Moon by John C. Barentine
Given the consensus nature of international norms and standards for acceptable actions undertaken in space, including on the Moon, anything short of free, prior and informed consent is inconsistent with the idea enshrined in the Outer Space Treaty that space is “the province of all mankind”.
PDF: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2605.17706
Citation:
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2605.17706
EMFSA May 2026 Newsletter Highlights Additional Topics
• AI and Technology
What does the Pope say about:
- AI and education?
- Age limits for digital devices?
• The Blood–Brain Barrier (BBB): An Active Research Target
Although millimeter waves (mm waves) used in 5G have very limited penetration into biological tissue, researchers continue to investigate potential BBB-related effects because biological systems may respond through indirect pathways. The evidence remains mixed and is not yet fully resolved.
• Experimental and clinical evidence on radiofrequency electromagnetic field effects on the blood–brain barrier: a scoping review (Open Access)
Citation:
Elif Taspinar Simsek et al. (2026) Physics in Medicine & Biology, 71(10), 10TR01.
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/ae6e17
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6560/ae6e17
• How important are independent review processes and effective patient education, particularly in cases involving rare or poorly understood conditions?
References
Bendahan N, Gautreau S, Medina Escobar A, et al. Clinical and Neuropathological Evaluations of the New Brunswick Neurological Syndrome of Unknown Cause. JAMA Neurol. 2025;82(8):788–796. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2025.1718 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2833783
• Ecological Effects of Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) – Call for Papers
Submission status: Open
Submission deadline: 11 February 2027
Submissions are invited from researchers across behavioural ecology, chronobiology, urban ecology, conservation science, environmental physiology, and related disciplines. Contributions addressing methodological innovation, ecosystem-scale analyses, and policy-relevant approaches to understanding and mitigating the impacts of ALAN are particularly encouraged.
Read more: https://www.nature.com/collections/aggecijegc
• 5G millimeter-wave (mmWave) studies
- S. Adda et al., Maximum Exposure of 5G Base Stations in the mmWave Band: the Impact of Multi-User MIMO and CSI-RS Ports, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement. DOI: 10.1109/TIM.2026.3690868 (Open Access CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11527038
- S. Iakovidis et al., “A Novel Framework for Realistic 3D Skin Modeling and its Exposure to Millimeter Waves,” in IEEE Journal of Microwaves, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 641-652, May 2026, doi: 10.1109/JMW.2026.3684941 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11506041
• A comprehensive international framework addressing both ionizing and non-ionizing radiation
https://www.emfsa.co.za/research-and-studies/radiation-monitoring-and-preparedness/
Link to EMFSA May 2026 Newsletter Highlights https://mailchi.mp/emfsa/emfsa-may-2026-newsletter
Further reading https://www.emfsa.co.za/news/5g-frequency-range-2-fr2/
Footnotes
¹ Sebola & Mphela (2023), Things of the sky: Cultural astronomy https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-ink_v15_n1_a48
² Harrison KD, Kelso N, Ramík DM, Ramík N, Plunkett GM, Neriam R, Nasauman W, Nasauman W, Balick MJ. “Sun brings all things”: Sun and moon lore as biocultural knowledge on Aneityum island, Vanuatu. PLoS One. 2025 Aug 1;20(8):e0327693. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0327693. PMID: 40749018; PMCID: PMC12316303. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12316303/
