Stephanie Prentice

With sub-zero temperatures and heaps of snow as far as the eye can see, this is as close as you can get to the natural habitat of Siberian huskies, Alaskan malamutes and other Arctic dog breeds. More than 1,000 of them have gathered in Östersund, taking on the challenge of pulling their sleds and drivers, or mushes, as quickly as they can on the Swedish trails.

With sub-zero temperatures and heaps of snow as far as the eye can see, this is as close as you can get to the natural habitat of Siberian huskies, Alaskan malamutes and other Arctic dog breeds. More than 1,000 of them have gathered in Östersund, taking on the challenge of pulling their sleds and drivers, or mushes, as quickly as they can on the Swedish trails.

Julia Israelsson entered the race with her two dogs, one of which is a rescue that she's only been training for a year and a half.

Julia Israelsson entered the race with her two dogs, one of which is a rescue that she's only been training for a year and a half.

The sprint races range from roughly five kilometres in length up to 34 and drivers can enter into heats where the sled is being pulled by two dogs up to the unlimited class that allows for 14 dogs. There's also Nordic style, where the drivers are on skis.

The sprint races range from roughly five kilometres in length up to 34 and drivers can enter into heats where the sled is being pulled by two dogs up to the unlimited class that allows for 14 dogs. There's also Nordic style, where the drivers are on skis.

Within sled dog racing, there are also long distance competitions going on for days, like the annual 1600 kilometre Idita Rod Challenge in Alaska, taking the dogs and their drivers on a trail through forests, mountains and even across sea ice, sometimes through snow blizzards.

Within sled dog racing, there are also long distance competitions going on for days, like the annual 1600 kilometre Idita Rod Challenge in Alaska, taking the dogs and their drivers on a trail through forests, mountains and even across sea ice, sometimes through snow blizzards.

Inspired by books like Call of the Wild, Matt Hodgson has loved Arctic dogs since childhood and he became the UK's first ever on Snow World champion in 2023, winning again in the year after. So what's the secret to becoming really good at dog sledding?

Inspired by books like Call of the Wild, Matt Hodgson has loved Arctic dogs since childhood and he became the UK's first ever on Snow World champion in 2023, winning again in the year after. So what's the secret to becoming really good at dog sledding?

And for any skiers worried that 1,000 dogs would leave a bit of a mess behind on the snow, the competition managers in Östersund have been cleaning up and gathering any dog waste and it's being turned into biogas, a renewable energy source used to heat up homes and buildings.

And for any skiers worried that 1,000 dogs would leave a bit of a mess behind on the snow, the competition managers in Östersund have been cleaning up and gathering any dog waste and it's being turned into biogas, a renewable energy source used to heat up homes and buildings.

Right now, we've got really a competition between the two global superpowers, the United States and China, for what is being arguably considered pitched as the battle for the technology of the 21st century. So it will matter for companies. It will matter for productivity. It will matter for growth.

Right now, we've got really a competition between the two global superpowers, the United States and China, for what is being arguably considered pitched as the battle for the technology of the 21st century. So it will matter for companies. It will matter for productivity. It will matter for growth.

So even if you're in the United Kingdom or I'm talking to you from Germany tonight, you might be thinking, what does that have to do with me? Well, these are low growth countries. So everybody is looking for the next big thing that's going to get them some economic growth so that we can pay for everything that we need, education, healthcare, et cetera. Whoever wins the race for AI will define that.

So even if you're in the United Kingdom or I'm talking to you from Germany tonight, you might be thinking, what does that have to do with me? Well, these are low growth countries. So everybody is looking for the next big thing that's going to get them some economic growth so that we can pay for everything that we need, education, healthcare, et cetera. Whoever wins the race for AI will define that.

This is a team from Italy, the US and the UK. And they were using data from the World Health Organization, from overseas authorities and UK records. And in fact, they looked at 69 countries. They then cross-referenced all of that with something called the Human Development Index. Now, that's a score based on things like life expectancy, per capita income.

This is a team from Italy, the US and the UK. And they were using data from the World Health Organization, from overseas authorities and UK records. And in fact, they looked at 69 countries. They then cross-referenced all of that with something called the Human Development Index. Now, that's a score based on things like life expectancy, per capita income.

With all of that, the team say they were able to conclude that regardless of where one may have started in terms of height, this upward trajectory would occur. So Lewis Holsey, he's a professor at the University of Roehampton here in the UK and one of the authors of the study.

With all of that, the team say they were able to conclude that regardless of where one may have started in terms of height, this upward trajectory would occur. So Lewis Holsey, he's a professor at the University of Roehampton here in the UK and one of the authors of the study.