Another sweltery weekend begins in the Deep South….been an interesting week….the RNC convention, the news of the Trump shooter, the deaths of Simmons, Newhart, Dr. Ruth, et al….but all that and the world still turns and so shall IST….turn from hard news to interesting news.
Locally….Temps still hovering around the triple digits….my garden is still struggling from the extreme heat….sadly the figs are done…..
Enough chit-chat…..onto the weekend ‘Dump”….
Let me begin with something for anyone dealing with diabetes…..
People living with diabetes might have a new hope. Scientists have tested a new drug therapy in diabetic mice, and found that it boosted insulin-producing cells by 700% over three months, effectively reversing their disease.
Beta cells in the pancreas have the important job of producing insulin in response to blood sugar levels, but a hallmark of diabetes is that these cells are either destroyed or can’t produce enough insulin. The most common treatment is regular injections of insulin to manage blood sugar levels.
But a recent avenue of research has involved restoring the function of these beta cells. In some cases that’s started with stem cells being coaxed into new beta cells, which are then transplanted into patients with diabetes. Researchers behind this kind of work have described it as a “functional diabetes cure.”
https://newatlas.com/medical/diabetes-reversing-drug-boosts-insulin-producing-cells/
We know that Americans have a ‘lawsuit lotto’ mentality…we will sue for a drop of a hat….I found one by a stripper in Florida….
As of Monday, adult entertainment businesses in Florida are not allowed to employ anyone under the age of 21, thanks to a law intended to fight human trafficking signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May. As a result, nude dancers like Serenity Michelle Bushey, who is 19, lost their jobs. Bushey is now suing, arguing the law infringes on her constitutional right to free speech, NBC News reports. Strip clubs and a lingerie store also joined her lawsuit, USA Today reports; the lingerie store argues it’s unfair for it to be subjected to the new law despite not offering any live entertainment or nudity.
Bushey says the law violates her right to perform her art as well as earn a living, and the plaintiffs say there is no link between their establishments and human trafficking. They also say it’s unfair to bar legal adults who are not yet 21 from any and all jobs at adult establishments, even those that do not involve nudity. The new law also does not include any sort of “grandfather clause” for those who were already employed at adult venues. “Plaintiffs maintain that the human body is a thing of beauty which, when combined with music and rhythmic motion in the form of dance, conveys an important message of eroticism,” the suit says.
I am on her side in this case….states are trying to legislate morality…which is pure fascism.
Move over it is about to get a bit more crowded….
The world population will grow from the current 8.2 billion to 10.8 billion by the 2080s—but no further, according to a new UN report. Though it notes population growth is being fueled by urbanization, large-scale migration, and more people living to reproductive age, it also explains more than half of countries have fallen below the replacement level fertility rate of 2.1 live births per average woman—”the level required for a population to maintain a constant size over the long term without migration,” according to a press release. Almost a fifth of all countries—China, South Korea, Italy, and Spain among them—have “ultra-low” fertility with fewer than 1.4 live births per woman.
“In some countries, the birth rate is now even lower than previously anticipated, and we are also seeing slightly faster declines in some high-fertility regions,” says Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. Given these factors, the global population is projected to drop from 10.8 million in 2080 to 10.2 billion by 2100. That 2100 figure is now 6% lower than anticipated a decade ago. For Junhua, it’s “a hopeful sign” that “could mean reduced environmental pressures from human impacts due to lower aggregate consumption.”
For 63 countries—including China, Germany, Russia, and Japan—peak population has already occurred. About 25% of people live in one of those countries, per USA Today. Another 48 countries—including Iran, Turkey, Brazil, and Vietnam—are projected to reach peak population between 2025 and 2054, according to the report. The US is among a group of 126 countries whose populations are “expected to increase through 2054 and, potentially, to peak in the second half of the century or later,” per the release. In this group, nine countries—including Niger, Somalia, and Angola—are expected to see very rapid growth, with populations doubling between 2024 and 2054
That should put a strain on resources around the world. Gladly I shall be gone and not have to deal with the side effects of this increase.
Food always a food post of some sort…..
When cooking I use a lot of butter…..that is butter the real thing not some fake crap with little to no taste…..
What would cuisines the world over be without butter? This isn’t just a hypothetical — or a paean to the creamy fat. The outsized environmental impact of dairy (and cattle) farming means that we need to be seriously considering the place our favorite foods will have in a more climate-conscious future.
And to that dilemma, a US-based startup called Savor says it has a tantalizing solution that almost sounds too good to be true: a butter-like product that’s made from the very CO2 that’s heating our planet.
“There is no biology involved in our specific process,” Savor chief technology officer Kathleen Alexander told New Scientist.
There’s no shortage of butter substitutes out there, but few of them can claim to fight climate change. Savor says it uses a petrochemical process called Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to eventually turn stuff like carbon dioxide, methane, and coal into hydrocarbons.
Those hydrocarbons, in turn, can be infused with oxygen to make fatty acids and then fat. From there, Alexander explained to New Scientist, you add it to water, an emulsifier, and some rosemary oil to give the blend a “grassy” taste.
https://futurism.com/the-byte/startup-makes-butter-from-carbon
Sorry dudes but I will stick with the cow’s version.
There is more dairy news…..one of my favorite foods….cheese….
The Musée du Fromage sounds like a stately old French establishment that’s been around for at least a century or two. That’s not the case. Not only is it brand-new—opened just last month in Paris—but, according to Smithsonian Magazine, it’s France’s first museum devoted to cheese.
The building itself is old: a 17th-century stone edifice not far from Notre-Dame Cathedral. Inside, you’ll find everything a quality food-centric museum should have. There’s an exhibit centered on cheese and cheesemaking, an actual working dairy where you can watch the cheesemaking magic happen, a taste-testing station that needs no explanation, and a gift shop teeming with dairy products. Entry is free for farmers and agricultural students, €20 (roughly $22) for adults, and €13 (roughly $14) for kids.
The whole endeavor was founded on the passion of Pierre Brisson, whose winemaker parents endeared him to dairy at an early age. “My father would take me to the cheesemonger every Sunday after Mass,” he told the Guardian. “I was at the height of the display and would look at all the marvelous cheeses in front of my eyes. I became fascinated by where they came from and how they were made.”
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/france-cheese-museum
They had me with the tasting station part!
In case no one has figured it out….I am a ‘night owl’…..pain keeps me awake most nights so I do what I do best….write and analyze….now I am told that I have superior cognitive function….
New research suggests that people who stay up and do their best work at night have higher cognitive function than early birds, who are — let’s face it — often seen in a far more positive light.
An international team of scientists led by Imperial College London came to this intriguing conclusion in a new study published in the journal BMJ Public Health, where they also found that getting seven to nine hours of sleep is best for optimum brain function.
For the study, the scientists looked at the large-scale UK Biobank, which comprises of biomedical data and other information from half a million Brits, analyzing 26,000 participants who had undergone cognitive tests and answered whether they were early birds or night owls.
After crunching the numbers, the researchers found that one group of night owls had significantly higher cognitive function than another group of morning folks, surpassing them with 13.5 percent higher scores. In another sampling, night owls still came up on top with 7.5 percent higher scores.
https://futurism.com/neoscope/night-owls-superior-cognitive-function
I Knew It!
Finally….we old farts watch and talk about the weather almost tirelessly….and if the Trump gets in office we may be forced to pay for weather reports….
Howdy, fellow Americans. Do you enjoy having free access to weather forecasts and crucial extreme weather alerts? Well, here’s a rude reminder that you’ve been taking that government amenity for granted, which could very soon be ensnared by the tentacles of privatization.
As The Atlantic reports, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which gathers the overwhelming majority of all the data used by the National Weather Service and even commercial services like AccuWeather, is the target of being defunded into the ground by allies of former President and once-again presidential candidate Donald Trump.
That would have massive consequences for meteorology and climate science in the US — but its most immediate to the average American is that they would no longer get free, government-provided weather forecasts. Instead, by kneecapping the agency, Trump-hopefuls aim to free up room for a commercial market — thus paving the way for a future where accessing even basic weather reports is locked behind something resembling the tiers of a Netflix subscription.
https://futurism.com/the-byte/trumps-allies-no-free-weather-reports
Geez….what will us old farts talk about then?
That is all the time or patience I have for the ‘Dump’…..I hope everyone enjoyed the ‘Dump’ and all will have a wonderful Summer Saturday….as always….Be Well and Be Safe….
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”