So ends another month.
Local–The weather has been unusually cooler for this time of year….nights have been in the lower 70s and daytime temps have run about 90…..it is a welcome change for most of us. More good news is that the tropics are very quiet no systems to speak of for now.
High school football began this weekend and that is all we heard about this past week. Note: In my younger years I liked football but when it became a religion and not a sport I got turned off and never considered it again.
That time again with everything pumpkin spice…..from coffee to ice cream to potato chips….it is a god awful flavor that does not impress.
Personal–Not looking forward to September for all the cancer treatment stuff will begin again….not looking forward to all the time spent at hospital and doctor’s offices.
Since I truly enjoy my honey I think that is a good place to start….
Researchers at the University of Oxford have created a new “superfood” designed to help honeybees survive amid environmental pressures like habitat loss and changing climate. The supplement, developed after 15 years of study, contains the six sterols—special lipids essential to bee development—that bees typically obtain from pollen and nectar. According to study co-author Geraldine Wright, the superfood can provide bees with complete nutrition when natural pollen is scarce, potentially reducing the impact of severe winters and poor flowering seasons.
Trials have shown promising results. Bee colonies fed the supplement produced up to 15 times more young bees that survived to adulthood. This could offer a significant boost for pollinators, which are critical to agriculture, aiding in the pollination of 70% of the world’s top crops. In recent years, honeybee populations have suffered major declines. US beekeepers have reported annual losses of 40% to 50% of their colonies over the past decade, and similar trends are seen in the UK.
Nick Mensikov, a beekeeper in South Wales, tells the BBC he lost 75% of his colonies the previous winter despite plentiful food in the hives, underscoring the nutritional challenges that bees face. Conventional bee supplements lack key nutrients, putting colonies at risk, especially over the winter when bees rely on stored food. The new supplement replicates a balanced diet for bees, with researchers using gene-edited yeast to manufacture the essential sterols, per the research published in the journal Nature. “This breakthrough discovery … has immense potential to improve outcomes for colony survival,” Danielle Downey, head of the honeybee research nonprofit Project Apis m., says in a release. Downey wasn’t involved with the study.
I hoped this helps the bee population.
There is a bunch of research into dementia and its causes…..diet is usually one of the first…..
A new study finds that sticking to a Mediterranean diet can slash the risk of dementia—especially in those with the highest genetic risk. Researchers tracked more than 5,700 participants over 34 years and found that those who closely followed the Mediterranean diet lowered their dementia risk, in line with other study findings, per Euronews. But participants in this category with two copies of the APOE4 gene—a well-known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s—saw the strongest benefit, lowering their dementia risk by at least 35%, per CNN. The benefits were even greater for those who adhered most strictly to the diet, which prioritizes vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fish, and olive oil, while limiting alcohol, red meat, and processed foods.
Yuxi Liu, a research fellow in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study published Monday in Nature, highlights that people with the APOE4 gene seem to have unique metabolic responses to healthy nutrients, potentially explaining the drop in dementia risk, though further research is needed to confirm these results. Outside expert Dr. Richard Isaacson believes this potential finding challenges the idea that genetics alone determine Alzheimer’s risk. He notes diet and other lifestyle changes—like exercise, stress reduction, and improved sleep—may offer powerful ways to cut risk even among those most genetically vulnerable.
As long as we are talking about diet…..
Including more broccoli in your diet could reduce the risk of colon cancer, new research suggests.
Diet is known to be a key modifiable risk factor for colon cancer — particularly a lack of vegetables and dietary fiber, as well as excessive alcohol and caffeine consumption, according to researchers.
Cruciferous vegetables — including broccoli as well as cauliflower, kale, cabbage and Brussels sprouts — have previously been identified as risk-reducers, but it was unclear what volume of consumption had this benefit.
These types of vegetables contain special natural compounds called glucosinolates, which break down into powerful substances called isothiocyanates, the researchers revealed.
Isothiocyanates can help to keep cancer at bay by detoxifying the body, killing damaged cells and slowing or stopping the growth of unhealthy cells.
There has been talk about the dreaded screwworm…..and now the first human victim has been found….
The New World screwworm sounds like something out of a nightmare—and it is officially now in the US. The Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday confirmed the first human case of the flesh-eating parasite in the country, Reuters reports. The case is travel-associated: The Maryland resident had recently returned from traveling to Central America. (Sources initially said the person had been in Guatemala, but the official HHS announcement indicates El Salvador.) The risk to the public is “very low,” an HHS spokesperson says, per Axios.
“This is the first human case of travel-associated New World screwworm myiasis (parasitic infestation of fly larvae) from an outbreak-affected country identified in the United States,” the statement reads. Decades after it nearly eradicated the parasitic fly, which largely threatens cattle, the US is now fighting to keep it out after it was detected just 700 miles south of Texas and moving north. No cases in animals in the US have been confirmed this year, but the beef industry is on high alert.
The parasitic flies lay eggs in open wounds on any warm-blooded animal, and the hundreds of screwworm larvae that then hatch feed on flesh—and will kill their hosts if not treated. Human infestation is rare, but an outbreak in Texas could cost the state economy $1.8 billion thanks to livestock losses, experts estimate.
Sounds like a good thing to file away so the meat industry can jack up prices similar to the egg fiasco.
Funerals are just damn expensive these days….yes I speak from facts as I had to deal with Sue’s wishes….there is a new way for funeral directors to make a few bucks more….water cremation….
In a quiet Baltimore funeral home, a new era in eco-friendly farewells is unfolding as Maryland embraces “water cremation”—a process that dissolves bodies in chemical baths rather than flames. The Washington Post reports that Maryland has joined a growing list of states offering the process, also known as alkaline hydrolysis, as a legal alternative for handling human remains. The process dissolves bodies in a chemical solution, leaving only bones and a liquid by-product, and is seen as both gentler and more environmentally conscious than traditional flame-based cremation. The method has gained traction since its debut in the funeral industry in 2011, with more than half of US states now permitting it.
The Joseph H. Brown Jr. Funeral Home in West Baltimore is the first in Maryland to provide the service. Bodies are placed in a silver chamber, where water and chemicals break down organic tissues over several hours. Advocates say water cremation appeals to people seeking a softer, more natural way to say goodbye, as well as those concerned about their environmental footprint. Per Maryland Matters, just one fire-based cremation can send more than 500 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air; WCAX notes that’s the equivalent of driving about 600 miles. Water-based cremations, however, don’t have airborne emissions to worry about.
In Maryland, the journey to legalization began when individuals like Adrian Gardner, motivated by personal family experiences, partnered with professionals to lobby for change. A 2024 state law paved the way for both alkaline hydrolysis and human composting, aka natural organic reduction. The Baltimore funeral home worked with local authorities to ensure that the chemical by-products could be safely disposed of through the city’s sewer system after proper treatment. Despite statewide approval, however, regulations are still being finalized, putting the service in a “legal gray area,” per the Post. The cost of setting up a water cremation infrastructure is also keeping some funeral homes in states where it’s legal from embracing the process, per WCAX.
Just wanted to let you know there are options other than a $5000+ funeral prep.
This is the Labor Day weekend…..a long three day holiday for family and friends….so if you have events to visit please Be Well and Be Safe…..
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”