Health and Science
Listen to What the Concerned Scientists Union States: Hurricane Michael Threatened Gulf Coast Homes and Military Bases: Update: Thomson Reuters Foundation Film: Home Beyond the Water
"After a summer of scorching heat waves, deadly wildfires, flooding, flooding, and more flooding, we were weary. Fall’s bitter battle for the Supreme Court brought us not a refreshing crispness, but a renewed sense of the brittle fragility of the bonds that hold our country together...[Florida]panhandle residents cannot afford to be weary, as now is the time to heed the warnings of local officials ... But nor can storm-tormented residents of the Carolinas afford to be weary, because recovery efforts from Hurricane Florence in September have barely begun and Michael threatens to bring yet another round of heavy rain." more »
Updated - Winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics: Donna Strickland, First Woman in 55 Years to Receive a Physics Prize: A Laser Jock
Dr. Donna Strickland said they were aware at the time they were working on something cutting-edge. "Yes, we knew it would be a game-changer," she told the BBC. The physics professor used the description in an interview with a Canadian newspaper, where she discussed efforts to get young people interested in the realm of physics. Dr. Strickland has spent much of her life studying and teaching physics, and describes her research as "fun". Now she shares the distinction of being one of three women to ever win the Nobel Prize for physics. more »
What the 9th Justice (Unconfirmed as yet) Is Missing: Argument preview: Justices to Consider Critical-habitat Designation for Endangered Frog
The justices will consider whether the service’s designation violated the ESA and whether its decision not to exclude Unit 1 was reviewable. As to the first question, Weyerhaeuser argues that Unit 1 is simply not “habitat” for the dusky gopher frog and thus cannot be “critical habitat.” According to Weyerhaeuser, “habitat” must be currently habitable, and Unit 1 fails this test because dusky gopher frogs do not live there now and “would not survive” if they were transplanted to the property in its present state. more »
Ah, Well, Another Good Health Dream Shattered: Daily Low-dose Aspirin in Healthy Older Adults Didn’t Prolong Life or Help Prevent Heart Disease, Physical Disability, Dementia, or Stroke
Most participants were aged 70 and older (65 and older for African-American and Hispanic individuals). None had dementia, a physical disability, or a previous heart attack or stroke at the start of the study. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 100mg of aspirin per day or an inactive placebo pill that looked similar. Health outcomes were followed for an average of about 4.7 years. Initial findings were published online on September 16, 2018 in three papers in the New England Journal of Medicine. more »
