As we approach the end of yet another month and we get deeper into Summer IST must do its duty and report on stories that may have been missed by all concerned.

Locally–Heat and more heat.

Summer and fresh veggies are all around….I get mine from this small farm about 20 miles away…..fresh tomatoes and watermelon for my afternoon snack…

Personal–I got to go a whole week without someone poking or prodding or scanning me….it was lovely…I almost did not know what to do with myself.

I will begin today with health news…..

Could my extreme dislike for peanuts be the cause that cancer treatments are progressing so well?

Peanuts are a favorite snack for many people. They’re tasty, crunchy, and often seen as a healthy choice. But a new study from the University of Liverpool has found something that might be important for people who have cancer or are recovering from it.

The research focused on a natural protein found in peanuts called Peanut Agglutinin, or PNA. When someone eats peanuts, a small amount of this protein can enter the bloodstream.

The scientists found that PNA might affect how blood vessels work and cause the body to release certain chemicals called cytokines. Two of these chemicals—IL-6 and MCP-1—may play a role in helping cancer spread from one part of the body to another.

Here’s how it works: blood vessels are lined with a thin layer of cells. Normally, these walls act like a barrier that controls what moves in and out of the bloodstream. But when PNA is present, it can trigger the release of IL-6 and MCP-1.

These chemicals make the blood vessel walls easier for cancer cells to stick to and pass through. This could make it easier for cancer cells to travel and grow in new areas of the body, a process known as metastasis.

https://knowridge.com/2025/06/peanuts-and-cancer-growth/

More good news for my favorite beverage……

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/diet/nutrition/over-60s-four-coffees-a-day/

More coffee stuff….

You’re doing yourself a favor in drinking your daily cup of joe—so long as you’re not adding too much unhealthy stuff, according to new research. The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, finds drinking one to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day is linked to a lower risk of death from all causes, but only if the coffee isn’t loaded with too much cream and sugar. Tufts University researchers analyzed health and diet data from 46,000 adults aged 20 or older between 1999 and 2018, finding mortality benefits for those who drank one to three cups per day with limited additives.

Drinking caffeinated coffee black and with low levels of added sugar (about half a teaspoon of sugar per 8-ounce cup) and saturated fat (about 1 tablespoon of light cream or half-and-half) was associated with a 14% lower risk of all-cause mortality, “but when sugar and saturated fat increased, the benefit disappeared,” per Earth.com. “The health benefits of coffee might be attributable to its bioactive compounds, but our results suggest that the addition of sugar and saturated fat may reduce the mortality benefits,” senior study author Fang Fang Zhang says in a release.

At least one cup of caffeinated coffee per day was linked to a 16% lower risk of all-cause mortality, while two to three cups meant a 17% lower risk. But drinking more than three cups did not come with added protection, and the reduced risk of death by cardiovascular disease actually weakened. As with previous studies, researchers noted the lack of an association between decaffeinated coffee and all-cause mortality could be due to the low consumption among the study group, per Newsweek.

Could poop lagoons be the answer to a methane problem?

A new study out of California suggests a simple fix could make a big dent in methane emissions from dairy farms: just cover manure lagoons with a tarp. Researchers with the University of California, Riverside, tracked methane emissions at a large dairy operation in Tulare County before and after a “digester” system—essentially a sealed cover that traps methane, which is then extracted and burned to generate electricity or converted into natural gas—was installed over its manure pond. The result, per the study published in Global Change Biology Bioenergy: an 80% drop in methane levels, with average concentrations falling from 28.6 parts per million to just 3.7.

“Until now, [these systems’] real-world performance hadn’t been verified this rigorously,” notes UC Riverside. The process is not without its challenges—installing a digester requires significant investment, there are regulatory hurdles, and ongoing maintenance is required. Indeed, leaks were initially detected at the study site, but they were located and repaired with help from researchers.

But LiveScience provides some numbers from the researchers that indicate just how big a dent digesters could make in California, where livestock manure is the top source of methane emissions. The state passed a law in 2016 aiming to cut methane from dairy and livestock operations by 40% below 2013 levels by 2030. Per the researchers, there are 139 digester projects that were completed or planned in the state as of 2023. If their results align with those of the farm in the study, they would take care of 39% of the 40%.

Do your allergies seem to get worse every year?

As the seasons shift into spring and summer, flowers bloom, trees turn green, and the days grow longer and sunnier. However, for many, this time also marks the start of allergy season in the United States, which can begin as early as February in warmer regions and persist through early summer. Tree pollen usually kicks things off in early spring, followed by grass pollen in late spring and summer. Later in the year, fall allergies—primarily triggered by weed pollen, such as ragweed—begin in late summer and continue into autumn.

In 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 25.7 percent of U.S. adults were diagnosed with seasonal allergies. That means about a quarter of Americans suffer from watery eyes, a tickly throat, and a runny nose. Pollen can make breathing outdoor air difficult. However, it’s getting worse: With climate change altering weather patterns and triggering an earlier and more prolonged high pollen count, we may all be experiencing more sneezing and breathing-related health issues than usual.

“If you live with seasonal allergies and feel like the pollen seasons feel longer and longer every year, you may be right,” writes Paul Gabrielsen, of the University of Utah. “[P]ollen seasons start 20 days earlier, are 10 days longer, and feature 21 percent more pollen than in 1990—meaning more days of itchy, sneezy, drippy misery.”

https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/06/09/climate-change-is-worsening-seasonal-allergies/

I have reported on this before….the Gulf Stream is nearing collapse….

If the Gulf Stream collapses, however, you’ve potentially got all sorts of problems.

Because greenhouse gases continue to rise, ‘that trend is likely to continue’, according to Professor Wei Liu, an author of the study.

For a while, it was thought that because global warming is melting Greenland’s ice sheet, it had been flooding the North Atlantic with freshwater.

This diluted the salty water, essentially slowing down and wearing the AMOC to the possible point of collapse.

But this new study has found a ‘very robust correlation’ to climate change thanks to computer model simulations.

“People have been asking why this cold spot exists; we found the most likely answer is a weakening AMOC,” Liu added.

“The overall impact on ecosystems and weather patterns, both in the Arctic and globally, could still be severe.”

https://www.ladbible.com/news/world-news/gulf-stream-collapse-climate-change-global-warming-752630-20250623

That is all I have for this Saturday….it is Summer and if you are out and about please be careful and wear protection from the heat and sun…..and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”