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Woman has limbs amputated after eating tainted fish: Report
Author of the article:Kevin Connor
Published Sep 18, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
A California woman had her arms and legs amputated after eating some contaminated tilapia, her friend says.
A California woman had her arms and legs amputated after eating some contaminated tilapia, her friend says.
Laura Barajas, 40, had to undergo the life-saving surgery on Thursday after being in
hospital for months.
“It’s just been really heavy on all of us. It’s terrible. This could’ve happened to any of us,” Barajas’ friend Anna Messina, told KRON, according to the New York Post.
Messina said Barajas, who has a six-year-old son, became deathly ill after eating the fish from a market in San Jose.
“She almost lost her life. She was on a respirator,” Messina said.
“They put her into a medically induced coma. Her fingers were black, her feet were black, her bottom lip was black. She had complete sepsis and her kidneys were failing,” she added.
Barajas was infected a potentially fatal bacterium found in raw seafood.
“The ways you can get infected with this bacteria are you can eat something that’s contaminated with it [and] the other way is by having a cut or tattoo exposed to water in which this bug lives,” UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. Natasha Spottiswoode told KRON.
Roughly 150 to 200 cases of this bacterium are reported each year, according to the CDC.
About one in five of those infected die.
A GoFundMe campaign, which had raised more than $66,000 as of Monday night, was launched to help with medical costs.
gofundme.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Kevin Connor
Published Sep 18, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
A California woman had her arms and legs amputated after eating some contaminated tilapia, her friend says.
A California woman had her arms and legs amputated after eating some contaminated tilapia, her friend says.
Laura Barajas, 40, had to undergo the life-saving surgery on Thursday after being in
hospital for months.
“It’s just been really heavy on all of us. It’s terrible. This could’ve happened to any of us,” Barajas’ friend Anna Messina, told KRON, according to the New York Post.
Messina said Barajas, who has a six-year-old son, became deathly ill after eating the fish from a market in San Jose.
“She almost lost her life. She was on a respirator,” Messina said.
“They put her into a medically induced coma. Her fingers were black, her feet were black, her bottom lip was black. She had complete sepsis and her kidneys were failing,” she added.
Barajas was infected a potentially fatal bacterium found in raw seafood.
“The ways you can get infected with this bacteria are you can eat something that’s contaminated with it [and] the other way is by having a cut or tattoo exposed to water in which this bug lives,” UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. Natasha Spottiswoode told KRON.
Roughly 150 to 200 cases of this bacterium are reported each year, according to the CDC.
About one in five of those infected die.
A GoFundMe campaign, which had raised more than $66,000 as of Monday night, was launched to help with medical costs.
Donate to Help with Lauras' Unexpected Turn, organized by Anna Messina
Hello, I'm Anna Messina, and I'm reaching out to you today to ask for your support for … Anna Messina needs your support for Help with Lauras' Unexpected Turn
Woman has limbs amputated after eating tainted fish: Report
A California woman had her arms and legs amputated after eating some contaminated tilapia, her friend says.
she should sushi.Woman has limbs amputated after eating tainted fish: Report
Author of the article:Kevin Connor
Published Sep 18, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
A California woman had her arms and legs amputated after eating some contaminated tilapia, her friend says.
A California woman had her arms and legs amputated after eating some contaminated tilapia, her friend says.
Laura Barajas, 40, had to undergo the life-saving surgery on Thursday after being in
hospital for months.
“It’s just been really heavy on all of us. It’s terrible. This could’ve happened to any of us,” Barajas’ friend Anna Messina, told KRON, according to the New York Post.
Messina said Barajas, who has a six-year-old son, became deathly ill after eating the fish from a market in San Jose.
“She almost lost her life. She was on a respirator,” Messina said.
“They put her into a medically induced coma. Her fingers were black, her feet were black, her bottom lip was black. She had complete sepsis and her kidneys were failing,” she added.
Barajas was infected a potentially fatal bacterium found in raw seafood.
“The ways you can get infected with this bacteria are you can eat something that’s contaminated with it [and] the other way is by having a cut or tattoo exposed to water in which this bug lives,” UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. Natasha Spottiswoode told KRON.
Roughly 150 to 200 cases of this bacterium are reported each year, according to the CDC.
About one in five of those infected die.
A GoFundMe campaign, which had raised more than $66,000 as of Monday night, was launched to help with medical costs.
Donate to Help with Lauras' Unexpected Turn, organized by Anna Messina
Hello, I'm Anna Messina, and I'm reaching out to you today to ask for your support for … Anna Messina needs your support for Help with Lauras' Unexpected TurnWoman has limbs amputated after eating tainted fish: Report
A California woman had her arms and legs amputated after eating some contaminated tilapia, her friend says.
Kaleed Rasheed, cabinet member in Ford’s gov't, resigns after Greenbelt probe
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Sep 20, 2023 • 1 minute read
Ontario Premier Doug Ford's office says cabinet member Kaleed Rasheed has resigned from his role and from the Progressive Conservative caucus – a departure that comes in the wake of an integrity commissioner probe into the government's Greenbelt land swap.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford's office says cabinet member Kaleed Rasheed has resigned from his role and from the Progressive Conservative caucus – a departure that comes in the wake of an integrity commissioner probe into the government's Greenbelt land swap.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s office says cabinet member Kaleed Rasheed has resigned from his role and from the Progressive Conservative caucus.
The departure comes in the wake of an integrity commissioner probe into the government’s Greenbelt land swap.
Ford’s office says if Rasheed can clear his name with the integrity commissioner, he can return to caucus.
Rasheed’s resignation comes after reporting from CTV and the Trillium questioned the timeline about a trip to Las Vegas.
The province’s integrity commissioner in his investigation into controversial Greenbelt land swaps interviewed Rasheed about a trip.
The Trillium had reported that developer Shakir Rehmatullah, who benefited from the recent Greenbelt land swap, went to Las Vegas at the same time as Rasheed, Ford’s principal secretary, and as well as his current housing policy director, who was in the private sector at the time.
Rasheed and the two staffers told the integrity commissioner they encountered Rehmatullah there but went on separate trips, but CTV reported that Rasheed, Rehmatullah and the principal secretary booked massages for the same time.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Sep 20, 2023 • 1 minute read
Ontario Premier Doug Ford's office says cabinet member Kaleed Rasheed has resigned from his role and from the Progressive Conservative caucus – a departure that comes in the wake of an integrity commissioner probe into the government's Greenbelt land swap.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford's office says cabinet member Kaleed Rasheed has resigned from his role and from the Progressive Conservative caucus – a departure that comes in the wake of an integrity commissioner probe into the government's Greenbelt land swap.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s office says cabinet member Kaleed Rasheed has resigned from his role and from the Progressive Conservative caucus.
The departure comes in the wake of an integrity commissioner probe into the government’s Greenbelt land swap.
Ford’s office says if Rasheed can clear his name with the integrity commissioner, he can return to caucus.
Rasheed’s resignation comes after reporting from CTV and the Trillium questioned the timeline about a trip to Las Vegas.
The province’s integrity commissioner in his investigation into controversial Greenbelt land swaps interviewed Rasheed about a trip.
The Trillium had reported that developer Shakir Rehmatullah, who benefited from the recent Greenbelt land swap, went to Las Vegas at the same time as Rasheed, Ford’s principal secretary, and as well as his current housing policy director, who was in the private sector at the time.
Rasheed and the two staffers told the integrity commissioner they encountered Rehmatullah there but went on separate trips, but CTV reported that Rasheed, Rehmatullah and the principal secretary booked massages for the same time.
Kaleed Rasheed, cabinet member in Ford’s gov't, resigns after Greenbelt probe
Premier Doug Ford's office says cabinet member Kaleed Rasheed has resigned from his role and from the Progressive Conservative caucus.
Science paints a new picture of the ancient past, when we mixed and mated with other kinds of humans
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Maddie Burakoff And Laura Ungar
Published Sep 24, 2023 • 6 minute read
Ancient Humans New Picture
Paleoartist John Gurche implants hair on Shanidar 1, a male Neanderthal at his studio in Trumansburg, N.Y., Wednesday, May 31, 2023. In 2010, the Swedish geneticist Svante Paabo and his team pieced a tricky puzzle together. They were able to assemble fragments of ancient DNA into a full Neanderthal genome — a feat that was long thought to be impossible. PHOTO BY HEATHER AINSWORTH /AP Photo
What does it mean to be human?
For a long time, the answer seemed clear. Our species, Homo sapiens — with our complex thoughts and deep emotions — were the only true humans to ever walk the Earth. Earlier forms, like the Neanderthals, were thought to be just steps along the path of evolution, who died out because we were better versions.
That picture is now changing.
In recent years, researchers have gained the power to pull DNA from ancient hominins, including our early ancestors and other relatives who walked on two legs. Ancient DNA technology has revolutionized the way we study human history and has quickly taken off, with a constant stream of studies exploring the genes of long-ago people.
Along with more fossils and artifacts, the DNA findings are pointing us to a challenging idea: We’re not so special. For most of human history we shared the planet with other kinds of early humans, and those now-extinct groups were a lot like us.
“We can see them as being fully human. But, interestingly, a different kind of human,” said Chris Stringer, a human evolution expert at London’s Natural History Museum. “A different way to be human.”
What’s more, humans had close — even intimate — interactions with some of these other groups, including Neanderthals, Denisovans and “ghost populations” we only know from DNA.
“It’s a unique time in human history when there are only one of us,” Stringer said.
A WORLD WITH MANY HOMININS
Scientists now know that after H. sapiens first showed up in Africa around 300,000 years ago, they overlapped with a whole cast of other hominins, explained Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program.
Neanderthals were hanging out in Europe. Homo heidelbergensis and Homo naledi were living in Africa. The short-statured Homo floresiensis, sometimes known as the “Hobbit,” was living in Indonesia, while the long-legged Homo erectus was loping around Asia.
Scientists started to realize all these hominins weren’t our direct ancestors. Instead, they were more like our cousins: lineages that split off from a common source and headed in different directions.
Archaeological finds have shown some of them had complex behaviors. Neanderthals painted cave walls, Homo heidelbergensis hunted large animals like rhinos and hippos, and some scientists think even the small-brained Homo naledi was burying its dead in South African cave systems. A study last week found early humans were building structures with wood before H. sapiens evolved.
Researcher also wondered: If these other kinds of humans were not so different, did our ancestors have sex with them?
For some, the mixing was hard to imagine. Many argued that as H. sapiens ventured out of Africa, they replaced other groups without mating. Archaeologist John Shea of New York’s Stony Brook University said he used to think of Neanderthals and H. sapiens as rivals, believing “if they bumped into each other, they’d probably kill each other.”
DNA REVEALS ANCIENT SECRETS
But DNA has revealed there were other interactions, ones that changed who we are today.
In 2010, the Swedish geneticist Svante Paabo and his team pieced a tricky puzzle together. They were able to assemble fragments of ancient DNA into a full Neanderthal genome, a feat that was long thought to be impossible and won Paabo a Nobel Prize last year.
This ability to read ancient DNA revolutionized the field, and it is constantly improving.
For example, when scientists applied these techniques to a pinky bone and some huge molars found in a Siberian cave, they found genes that didn’t match anything seen before, said Bence Viola, an anthropologist at the University of Toronto who was part of the research team that made the discovery. It was a new species of hominin, now known as Denisovans, who were the first human cousins identified only by their DNA.
Armed with these Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes, scientists could compare them to people today and look for chunks of DNA that match. When they did, they found clear signs of crossover.
Ancient Humans New Picture
Busts of Neanderthal and hominins line a table at the studio of paleoartist John Gurche in Trumansburg, N.Y., Wednesday, May 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Heather Ainsworth)
THE NEW HUMAN STORY
The DNA evidence showed that H. sapiens mated with groups including Neanderthals and Denisovans. It even revealed evidence of other “ghost populations” — groups who are part of our genetic code, but whose fossils we haven’t found yet.
It’s hard to pin down exactly when and where these interactions happened. Our ancestors seem to have mixed with the Neanderthals soon after leaving Africa and heading into Europe. They probably bumped into the Denisovans in parts of East and Southeast Asia.
“They didn’t have a map, they didn’t know where they were going,” the Smithsonian’s Potts said. “But looking over the next hillside into the next valley, (they) ran into populations of people that looked a bit different from themselves, but mated, exchanged genes.”
So even though Neanderthals did look distinct from H. sapiens _ from their bigger noses to their shorter limbs — it wasn’t enough to create a “wall” between the groups, Shea said.
“They probably thought, ‘Oh, these guys look a little bit different,”‘ Shea said. “‘Their skin color’s a little different. Their faces look a little different. But they’re cool guys, let’s go try to talk to them.”‘
COMPLEX NEANDERTHALS
The idea that modern humans, and particularly white humans, were the pinnacle of evolution came from a time of “colonialism and elitism,” said Janet Young, curator of physical anthropology at the Canadian Museum of History.
One Neanderthal painting, created to reflect the vision of a eugenics advocate, made its way through decades of textbooks and museum displays.
The new findings have completely upended the idea that earlier, more ape-like creatures started standing up straighter and getting more complex until they reached their peak form in H. sapiens, Young said. Along with the genetic evidence, other archaeological finds have shown Neanderthals had complex behaviors around hunting, cooking, using tools and even making art.
Still, even though we now know our ancient human cousins were like us — and make up part of who we are now — the idea of ape-like cave men has been hard to dislodge.
Artist John Gurche is trying. He specializes in creating lifelike models of ancient humans for museums, including the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History, in hopes of helping public perception catch up to the science.
Skulls and sculptures gazed out from the shelves of his studio earlier this year as he worked on a Neanderthal head, punching pieces of hair into the silicone skin.
Bringing the new view to the public hasn’t been easy, Gurche said: “This caveman image is very persistent.”
For Gurche, getting the science right is crucial. He has worked on dissections of humans and apes to understand their anatomy, but also hopes to bring out emotion in his portrayals.
“These were once living, breathing individuals. And they felt grief and joy and pain,” Gurche said. “They’re not in some fairyland; they’re not some fantasy creatures. They were alive.”
MANY CONNECTIONS STILL TO BE FOUND
Scientists can’t get useful genetic information out of every fossil they find, especially if it’s really old or in the wrong climate. They haven’t been able to gather much ancient DNA from Africa, where H. sapiens first evolved, because it has been degraded by heat and moisture.
Still, many are hopeful that as DNA technology keeps advancing, we’ll be able to push further into the past and get ancient genomes from more parts of the world, adding more brushstrokes to our picture of human history.
Because even though we were the only ones to survive, the other extinct groups played a key role in our history, and our present. They are part of a common humanity connecting every person, said Mary Prendergast, a Rice University archeologist.
“If you look at the fossil record, the archeological record, the genetic record,” she said, “you see that we share far more in common than what divides us.”
![CP168440951-e1695564772198[1].jpg](https://forums.canadiancontent.net/data/attachments/17/17697-816c8a300024e3aeb7a728aa10f99fe3.jpg "CP168440951-e1695564772198[1].jpg")
![CP168440959[1].jpg](https://forums.canadiancontent.net/data/attachments/17/17696-bf7ac22e40912c8801f1dccf6e7d94fb.jpg "CP168440959[1].jpg")
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Maddie Burakoff And Laura Ungar
Published Sep 24, 2023 • 6 minute read
Ancient Humans New Picture
Paleoartist John Gurche implants hair on Shanidar 1, a male Neanderthal at his studio in Trumansburg, N.Y., Wednesday, May 31, 2023. In 2010, the Swedish geneticist Svante Paabo and his team pieced a tricky puzzle together. They were able to assemble fragments of ancient DNA into a full Neanderthal genome — a feat that was long thought to be impossible. PHOTO BY HEATHER AINSWORTH /AP Photo
What does it mean to be human?
For a long time, the answer seemed clear. Our species, Homo sapiens — with our complex thoughts and deep emotions — were the only true humans to ever walk the Earth. Earlier forms, like the Neanderthals, were thought to be just steps along the path of evolution, who died out because we were better versions.
That picture is now changing.
In recent years, researchers have gained the power to pull DNA from ancient hominins, including our early ancestors and other relatives who walked on two legs. Ancient DNA technology has revolutionized the way we study human history and has quickly taken off, with a constant stream of studies exploring the genes of long-ago people.
Along with more fossils and artifacts, the DNA findings are pointing us to a challenging idea: We’re not so special. For most of human history we shared the planet with other kinds of early humans, and those now-extinct groups were a lot like us.
“We can see them as being fully human. But, interestingly, a different kind of human,” said Chris Stringer, a human evolution expert at London’s Natural History Museum. “A different way to be human.”
What’s more, humans had close — even intimate — interactions with some of these other groups, including Neanderthals, Denisovans and “ghost populations” we only know from DNA.
“It’s a unique time in human history when there are only one of us,” Stringer said.
A WORLD WITH MANY HOMININS
Scientists now know that after H. sapiens first showed up in Africa around 300,000 years ago, they overlapped with a whole cast of other hominins, explained Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program.
Neanderthals were hanging out in Europe. Homo heidelbergensis and Homo naledi were living in Africa. The short-statured Homo floresiensis, sometimes known as the “Hobbit,” was living in Indonesia, while the long-legged Homo erectus was loping around Asia.
Scientists started to realize all these hominins weren’t our direct ancestors. Instead, they were more like our cousins: lineages that split off from a common source and headed in different directions.
Archaeological finds have shown some of them had complex behaviors. Neanderthals painted cave walls, Homo heidelbergensis hunted large animals like rhinos and hippos, and some scientists think even the small-brained Homo naledi was burying its dead in South African cave systems. A study last week found early humans were building structures with wood before H. sapiens evolved.
Researcher also wondered: If these other kinds of humans were not so different, did our ancestors have sex with them?
For some, the mixing was hard to imagine. Many argued that as H. sapiens ventured out of Africa, they replaced other groups without mating. Archaeologist John Shea of New York’s Stony Brook University said he used to think of Neanderthals and H. sapiens as rivals, believing “if they bumped into each other, they’d probably kill each other.”
DNA REVEALS ANCIENT SECRETS
But DNA has revealed there were other interactions, ones that changed who we are today.
In 2010, the Swedish geneticist Svante Paabo and his team pieced a tricky puzzle together. They were able to assemble fragments of ancient DNA into a full Neanderthal genome, a feat that was long thought to be impossible and won Paabo a Nobel Prize last year.
This ability to read ancient DNA revolutionized the field, and it is constantly improving.
For example, when scientists applied these techniques to a pinky bone and some huge molars found in a Siberian cave, they found genes that didn’t match anything seen before, said Bence Viola, an anthropologist at the University of Toronto who was part of the research team that made the discovery. It was a new species of hominin, now known as Denisovans, who were the first human cousins identified only by their DNA.
Armed with these Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes, scientists could compare them to people today and look for chunks of DNA that match. When they did, they found clear signs of crossover.
Ancient Humans New Picture
Busts of Neanderthal and hominins line a table at the studio of paleoartist John Gurche in Trumansburg, N.Y., Wednesday, May 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Heather Ainsworth)
THE NEW HUMAN STORY
The DNA evidence showed that H. sapiens mated with groups including Neanderthals and Denisovans. It even revealed evidence of other “ghost populations” — groups who are part of our genetic code, but whose fossils we haven’t found yet.
It’s hard to pin down exactly when and where these interactions happened. Our ancestors seem to have mixed with the Neanderthals soon after leaving Africa and heading into Europe. They probably bumped into the Denisovans in parts of East and Southeast Asia.
“They didn’t have a map, they didn’t know where they were going,” the Smithsonian’s Potts said. “But looking over the next hillside into the next valley, (they) ran into populations of people that looked a bit different from themselves, but mated, exchanged genes.”
So even though Neanderthals did look distinct from H. sapiens _ from their bigger noses to their shorter limbs — it wasn’t enough to create a “wall” between the groups, Shea said.
“They probably thought, ‘Oh, these guys look a little bit different,”‘ Shea said. “‘Their skin color’s a little different. Their faces look a little different. But they’re cool guys, let’s go try to talk to them.”‘
COMPLEX NEANDERTHALS
The idea that modern humans, and particularly white humans, were the pinnacle of evolution came from a time of “colonialism and elitism,” said Janet Young, curator of physical anthropology at the Canadian Museum of History.
One Neanderthal painting, created to reflect the vision of a eugenics advocate, made its way through decades of textbooks and museum displays.
The new findings have completely upended the idea that earlier, more ape-like creatures started standing up straighter and getting more complex until they reached their peak form in H. sapiens, Young said. Along with the genetic evidence, other archaeological finds have shown Neanderthals had complex behaviors around hunting, cooking, using tools and even making art.
Still, even though we now know our ancient human cousins were like us — and make up part of who we are now — the idea of ape-like cave men has been hard to dislodge.
Artist John Gurche is trying. He specializes in creating lifelike models of ancient humans for museums, including the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History, in hopes of helping public perception catch up to the science.
Skulls and sculptures gazed out from the shelves of his studio earlier this year as he worked on a Neanderthal head, punching pieces of hair into the silicone skin.
Bringing the new view to the public hasn’t been easy, Gurche said: “This caveman image is very persistent.”
For Gurche, getting the science right is crucial. He has worked on dissections of humans and apes to understand their anatomy, but also hopes to bring out emotion in his portrayals.
“These were once living, breathing individuals. And they felt grief and joy and pain,” Gurche said. “They’re not in some fairyland; they’re not some fantasy creatures. They were alive.”
MANY CONNECTIONS STILL TO BE FOUND
Scientists can’t get useful genetic information out of every fossil they find, especially if it’s really old or in the wrong climate. They haven’t been able to gather much ancient DNA from Africa, where H. sapiens first evolved, because it has been degraded by heat and moisture.
Still, many are hopeful that as DNA technology keeps advancing, we’ll be able to push further into the past and get ancient genomes from more parts of the world, adding more brushstrokes to our picture of human history.
Because even though we were the only ones to survive, the other extinct groups played a key role in our history, and our present. They are part of a common humanity connecting every person, said Mary Prendergast, a Rice University archeologist.
“If you look at the fossil record, the archeological record, the genetic record,” she said, “you see that we share far more in common than what divides us.”
Science paints a new picture of the ancient past, when we mixed and mated with other kinds of humans
A time when we mixed and mated with other kinds of humans.
Not hard to do. Just hit yourself in the head a few times with a hammer.
A big hammer.
Hey, "slow" is a pace!
We carry DNA from extinct cousins like Neanderthals. Science is now revealing their genetic legacy
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Laura Ungar And Maddie Burakoff
Published Sep 25, 2023 • 6 minute read
The reconstruction of a Homo neanderthalensis
The reconstruction of a Homo neanderthalensis, who lived within Eurasia from circa 400,000 until 40,000 years ago, mirrors at the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann, Germany, located at the site of the first Neanderthal man discovery, Wednesday, July 3, 2019. PHOTO BY MARTIN MEISSNER /AP Photo
Neanderthals live on within us.
These ancient human cousins, and others called Denisovans, once lived alongside our early Homo sapiens ancestors. They mingled and had children. So some of who they were never went away — it’s in our genes. And science is starting to reveal just how much that shapes us.
Using the new and rapidly improving ability to piece together fragments of ancient DNA, scientists are finding that traits inherited from our ancient cousins are still with us now, affecting our fertility, our immune systems, even how our bodies handled the COVID-19 virus.
“We’re now carrying the genetic legacies and learning about what that means for our bodies and our health,” said Mary Prendergast, a Rice University archeologist.
In the past few months alone, researchers have linked Neanderthal DNA to a serious hand disease, the shape of people’s noses and various other human traits. They even inserted a gene carried by Neanderthals and Denisovans into mice to investigate its effects on biology, and found it gave them larger heads and an extra rib.
Much of the human journey remains a mystery. But Dr. Hugo Zeberg of the Karolinska Insitute in Sweden said new technologies, research and collaborations are helping scientists begin to answer the basic but cosmic questions: “Who are we? Where did we come from?”
And the answers point to a profound reality: We have far more in common with our extinct cousins than we ever thought.
NEANDERTHALS WITHIN US
Until recently, the genetic legacy from ancient humans was invisible because scientists were limited to what they could glean from the shape and size of bones. But there has been a steady stream of discoveries from ancient DNA, an area of study pioneered by Nobel Prize winner Svante Paabo who first pieced together a Neanderthal genome.
Advances in finding and interpreting ancient DNA have allowed them to see things like genetic changes over time to better adapt to environments or through random chance.
It’s even possible to figure out how much genetic material people from different regions carry from the ancient relatives our predecessors encountered.
Research shows some African populations have almost no Neanderthal DNA, while those from European or Asian backgrounds have 1% to 2%. Denisovan DNA is barely detectable in most parts of the world but makes up 4% to 6% of the DNA of people in Melanesia, which extends from New Guinea to the Fiji Islands.
That may not sound like much, but it adds up: Even though only 100,000 Neanderthals ever lived, “half of the Neanderthal genome is still around, in small pieces scattered around modern humans,” said Zeberg, who collaborates closely with Paabo.
It’s also enough to affect us in very real ways. Scientists don’t yet know the full extent, but they’re learning it can be both helpful and harmful.
For example, Neanderthal DNA has been linked to auto-immune diseases like Graves’ disease and rheumatoid arthritis. When Homo sapiens came out of Africa, they had no immunity to diseases in Europe and Asia, but Neanderthals and Denisovans already living there did.
“By interbreeding with them, we got a quick fix to our immune systems, which was good news 50,000 years ago,” said Chris Stringer, a human evolution researcher at the Natural History Museum in London. “The result today is, for some people, that our immune systems are oversensitive, and sometimes they turn on themselves.”
Similarly, a gene associated with blood clotting believed to be passed down from Neanderthals in Eurasia may have been helpful in the “rough and tumble world of the Pleistocene,” said Rick Potts, director of the human origins program at the Smithsonian Institution. But today it can raise the risk of stroke for older adults. “For every benefit,” he said, “there are costs in evolution.”
In 2020, research by Zeberg and Paabo found that a major genetic risk factor for severe COVID-19 is inherited from Neanderthals. “We compared it to the Neanderthal genome and it was a perfect match,” Zeberg said. “I kind of fell off my chair.”
The next year, they found a set of DNA variants along a single chromosome inherited from Neanderthals had the opposite effect: protecting people from severe COVID.
The list goes on: Research has linked Neanderthal genetic variants to skin and hair color, behavioral traits, skull shape and Type 2 diabetes. One study found that people who report feeling more pain than others are likely to carry a Neanderthal pain receptor. Another found that a third of women in Europe inherited a Neanderthal receptor for the hormone progesterone, which is associated with increased fertility and fewer miscarriages.
Much less is known about our genetic legacy from Denisovans _ although some research has linked genes from them to fat metabolism and better adaptation to high altitudes. Maanasa Raghavan, a human genetics expert at the University of Chicago, said a stretch of Denisovan DNA has been found in Tibetans, who continue to live and thrive in low-oxygen environments today.
Scientists have even found evidence of “ghost populations” _ groups whose fossils have yet to be discovered — within modern humans’ genetic code.
SO WHY DID WE SURVIVE?
In the past, the tale of modern humans’ survival “was always told as some success story, almost like a hero’s story,” in which Homo sapiens rose above the rest of the natural world and overcame the “insufficiencies” of their cousins, Potts said.
“Well, that simply is just not the correct story.”
Neanderthals and Denisovans had already existed for thousands of years by the time Homo sapiens left Africa. Scientists used to think we won out because we had more complex behavior and superior technology. But recent research shows that Neanderthals talked, cooked with fire, made art objects, had sophisticated tools and hunting behavior, and even wore makeup and jewelry.
Several theories now tie our survival to our ability to travel far and wide.
“We spread all over the world, much more than these other forms did,” Zeberg said.
While Neanderthals were specially adapted to cold climates, Potts said, Homo sapiens were able to disperse to all different kinds of climates after emerging in tropical Africa. “We are so adaptable, culturally adaptable, to so many places in the world,” he said.
Meanwhile, Neanderthals and Denisovans faced harsh conditions in the north, like repeated ice ages and ice sheets that likely trapped them in small areas, said Eleanor Scerri, an archeologist at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology. They lived in smaller populations with a greater risk of genetic collapse.
Plus, we had nimble, efficient bodies, Prendergast said. It takes a lot more calories to feed stocky Neanderthals than comparatively skinny Homo sapiens, so Neanderthals had more trouble getting by, and moving around, especially when food got scarce.
Janet Young, curator of physical anthropology at the Canadian Museum of History, pointed to another intriguing hypothesis — which anthropologist Pat Shipman shared in one of her books _- that dogs played a big part in our survival. Researchers found the skulls of domesticated dogs in Homo sapiens sites much further back in time than anyone had found before. Scientists believe dogs made hunting easier.
By around 30,000 years ago, all the other kinds of hominins on Earth had died off, leaving Homo sapiens as the last humans standing.
‘INTERACTION AND MIXTURE’
Still, every new scientific revelation points to how much we owe our ancient cousins.
Human evolution was not about “survival of the fittest and extinction,” said John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It’s about “interaction and mixture.”
Researchers expect to learn more as science continues to advance, allowing them to extract information from ever-tinier traces of ancient lives. Even when fossils aren’t available, scientists today can capture DNA from soil and sediment where archaic humans once lived.
And there are less-explored places in the world where they hope to learn more. Zeberg said “biobanks” that collect biological samples will likely be established in more countries.
As they delve deeper into humanity’s genetic legacy, scientists expect to find even more evidence of how much we mixed with our ancient cousins and all they left us.
“Perhaps,” Zeberg said, “we should not see them as so different.”
![Germany-Human-Evolution-Museum-scaled-e1695652714344[1].jpg](https://forums.canadiancontent.net/data/attachments/17/17706-82adf8ee3fcc2c2c80e38d068a013280.jpg "Germany-Human-Evolution-Museum-scaled-e1695652714344[1].jpg")
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Laura Ungar And Maddie Burakoff
Published Sep 25, 2023 • 6 minute read
The reconstruction of a Homo neanderthalensis
The reconstruction of a Homo neanderthalensis, who lived within Eurasia from circa 400,000 until 40,000 years ago, mirrors at the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann, Germany, located at the site of the first Neanderthal man discovery, Wednesday, July 3, 2019. PHOTO BY MARTIN MEISSNER /AP Photo
Neanderthals live on within us.
These ancient human cousins, and others called Denisovans, once lived alongside our early Homo sapiens ancestors. They mingled and had children. So some of who they were never went away — it’s in our genes. And science is starting to reveal just how much that shapes us.
Using the new and rapidly improving ability to piece together fragments of ancient DNA, scientists are finding that traits inherited from our ancient cousins are still with us now, affecting our fertility, our immune systems, even how our bodies handled the COVID-19 virus.
“We’re now carrying the genetic legacies and learning about what that means for our bodies and our health,” said Mary Prendergast, a Rice University archeologist.
In the past few months alone, researchers have linked Neanderthal DNA to a serious hand disease, the shape of people’s noses and various other human traits. They even inserted a gene carried by Neanderthals and Denisovans into mice to investigate its effects on biology, and found it gave them larger heads and an extra rib.
Much of the human journey remains a mystery. But Dr. Hugo Zeberg of the Karolinska Insitute in Sweden said new technologies, research and collaborations are helping scientists begin to answer the basic but cosmic questions: “Who are we? Where did we come from?”
And the answers point to a profound reality: We have far more in common with our extinct cousins than we ever thought.
NEANDERTHALS WITHIN US
Until recently, the genetic legacy from ancient humans was invisible because scientists were limited to what they could glean from the shape and size of bones. But there has been a steady stream of discoveries from ancient DNA, an area of study pioneered by Nobel Prize winner Svante Paabo who first pieced together a Neanderthal genome.
Advances in finding and interpreting ancient DNA have allowed them to see things like genetic changes over time to better adapt to environments or through random chance.
It’s even possible to figure out how much genetic material people from different regions carry from the ancient relatives our predecessors encountered.
Research shows some African populations have almost no Neanderthal DNA, while those from European or Asian backgrounds have 1% to 2%. Denisovan DNA is barely detectable in most parts of the world but makes up 4% to 6% of the DNA of people in Melanesia, which extends from New Guinea to the Fiji Islands.
That may not sound like much, but it adds up: Even though only 100,000 Neanderthals ever lived, “half of the Neanderthal genome is still around, in small pieces scattered around modern humans,” said Zeberg, who collaborates closely with Paabo.
It’s also enough to affect us in very real ways. Scientists don’t yet know the full extent, but they’re learning it can be both helpful and harmful.
For example, Neanderthal DNA has been linked to auto-immune diseases like Graves’ disease and rheumatoid arthritis. When Homo sapiens came out of Africa, they had no immunity to diseases in Europe and Asia, but Neanderthals and Denisovans already living there did.
“By interbreeding with them, we got a quick fix to our immune systems, which was good news 50,000 years ago,” said Chris Stringer, a human evolution researcher at the Natural History Museum in London. “The result today is, for some people, that our immune systems are oversensitive, and sometimes they turn on themselves.”
Similarly, a gene associated with blood clotting believed to be passed down from Neanderthals in Eurasia may have been helpful in the “rough and tumble world of the Pleistocene,” said Rick Potts, director of the human origins program at the Smithsonian Institution. But today it can raise the risk of stroke for older adults. “For every benefit,” he said, “there are costs in evolution.”
In 2020, research by Zeberg and Paabo found that a major genetic risk factor for severe COVID-19 is inherited from Neanderthals. “We compared it to the Neanderthal genome and it was a perfect match,” Zeberg said. “I kind of fell off my chair.”
The next year, they found a set of DNA variants along a single chromosome inherited from Neanderthals had the opposite effect: protecting people from severe COVID.
The list goes on: Research has linked Neanderthal genetic variants to skin and hair color, behavioral traits, skull shape and Type 2 diabetes. One study found that people who report feeling more pain than others are likely to carry a Neanderthal pain receptor. Another found that a third of women in Europe inherited a Neanderthal receptor for the hormone progesterone, which is associated with increased fertility and fewer miscarriages.
Much less is known about our genetic legacy from Denisovans _ although some research has linked genes from them to fat metabolism and better adaptation to high altitudes. Maanasa Raghavan, a human genetics expert at the University of Chicago, said a stretch of Denisovan DNA has been found in Tibetans, who continue to live and thrive in low-oxygen environments today.
Scientists have even found evidence of “ghost populations” _ groups whose fossils have yet to be discovered — within modern humans’ genetic code.
SO WHY DID WE SURVIVE?
In the past, the tale of modern humans’ survival “was always told as some success story, almost like a hero’s story,” in which Homo sapiens rose above the rest of the natural world and overcame the “insufficiencies” of their cousins, Potts said.
“Well, that simply is just not the correct story.”
Neanderthals and Denisovans had already existed for thousands of years by the time Homo sapiens left Africa. Scientists used to think we won out because we had more complex behavior and superior technology. But recent research shows that Neanderthals talked, cooked with fire, made art objects, had sophisticated tools and hunting behavior, and even wore makeup and jewelry.
Several theories now tie our survival to our ability to travel far and wide.
“We spread all over the world, much more than these other forms did,” Zeberg said.
While Neanderthals were specially adapted to cold climates, Potts said, Homo sapiens were able to disperse to all different kinds of climates after emerging in tropical Africa. “We are so adaptable, culturally adaptable, to so many places in the world,” he said.
Meanwhile, Neanderthals and Denisovans faced harsh conditions in the north, like repeated ice ages and ice sheets that likely trapped them in small areas, said Eleanor Scerri, an archeologist at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology. They lived in smaller populations with a greater risk of genetic collapse.
Plus, we had nimble, efficient bodies, Prendergast said. It takes a lot more calories to feed stocky Neanderthals than comparatively skinny Homo sapiens, so Neanderthals had more trouble getting by, and moving around, especially when food got scarce.
Janet Young, curator of physical anthropology at the Canadian Museum of History, pointed to another intriguing hypothesis — which anthropologist Pat Shipman shared in one of her books _- that dogs played a big part in our survival. Researchers found the skulls of domesticated dogs in Homo sapiens sites much further back in time than anyone had found before. Scientists believe dogs made hunting easier.
By around 30,000 years ago, all the other kinds of hominins on Earth had died off, leaving Homo sapiens as the last humans standing.
‘INTERACTION AND MIXTURE’
Still, every new scientific revelation points to how much we owe our ancient cousins.
Human evolution was not about “survival of the fittest and extinction,” said John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It’s about “interaction and mixture.”
Researchers expect to learn more as science continues to advance, allowing them to extract information from ever-tinier traces of ancient lives. Even when fossils aren’t available, scientists today can capture DNA from soil and sediment where archaic humans once lived.
And there are less-explored places in the world where they hope to learn more. Zeberg said “biobanks” that collect biological samples will likely be established in more countries.
As they delve deeper into humanity’s genetic legacy, scientists expect to find even more evidence of how much we mixed with our ancient cousins and all they left us.
“Perhaps,” Zeberg said, “we should not see them as so different.”
We carry DNA from extinct cousins like Neanderthals. Science is now revealing their genetic legacy
Neanderthals live on within us.
Scientists discover half-a-million-year-old wooden structure — National Post
Predating even the arrival of homo sapiens, the notched piece of wood would not look out of place in a log cabin
In a paper in the journal Nature, Barham describes how the team found preserved wooden remains that they were able to date to almost half a million years ago. A high water table in the area helped preserve organic items that would usually rot away in a short time.
“Waterlogged deposits … preserved two interlocking logs joined transversely by an intentionally cut notch,” Barham wrote. “This construction has no known parallels in the African or Eurasian Palaeolithic.” The 1.4-metre notched piece of wood would not look out of place in a modern log cabin.
He added: “We also recovered four wood tools from [390,000 to 324,000 years ago] including a wedge, digging stick, cut log and notched branch. The finds show an unexpected early diversity of forms and the capacity to shape tree trunks into large combined structures. These new data not only extend the age range of woodworking in Africa but expand our understanding of the technical cognition of early hominins, forcing re-examination of the use of trees in the history of technology.”
Any bananas?(Since modern humans are thought to have appeared in the evolutionary timeline some 350,000 years ago, these structures would predate even homo sapiens by thousands of years)
Scientists discover half-a-million-year-old wooden structure — National Post
Predating even the arrival of homo sapiens, the notched piece of wood would not look out of place in a log cabinapple.news
In a paper in the journal Nature, Barham describes how the team found preserved wooden remains that they were able to date to almost half a million years ago. A high water table in the area helped preserve organic items that would usually rot away in a short time.
“Waterlogged deposits … preserved two interlocking logs joined transversely by an intentionally cut notch,” Barham wrote. “This construction has no known parallels in the African or Eurasian Palaeolithic.” The 1.4-metre notched piece of wood would not look out of place in a modern log cabin.
He added: “We also recovered four wood tools from [390,000 to 324,000 years ago] including a wedge, digging stick, cut log and notched branch. The finds show an unexpected early diversity of forms and the capacity to shape tree trunks into large combined structures. These new data not only extend the age range of woodworking in Africa but expand our understanding of the technical cognition of early hominins, forcing re-examination of the use of trees in the history of technology.”
Flesh-eating bacteria infections on the rise. Here's how to protect yourself
Author of the article:Special to Toronto Sun
Special to Toronto Sun
The Conversation
Published Sep 26, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
In September 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory alerting doctors and public health officials of an increase in flesh-eating bacteria cases that can cause serious wound infections.
In September 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory alerting doctors and public health officials of an increase in flesh-eating bacteria cases that can cause serious wound infections.
Flesh-eating bacteria sounds like the premise of a bad horror movie, but it’s a growing – and potentially fatal – threat to people.
In September 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory alerting doctors and public health officials of an increase in flesh-eating bacteria cases that can cause serious wound infections.
I’m a professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where my laboratory studies microbiology and infectious disease. Here’s why the CDC is so concerned about this deadly infection – and ways to avoid contracting it.
What does ‘flesh-eating’ mean?
There are several types of bacteria that can infect open wounds and cause a rare condition called necrotizing fasciitis. These bacteria do not merely damage the surface of the skin – they release toxins that destroy the underlying tissue, including muscles, nerves and blood vessels. Once the bacteria reach the bloodstream, they gain ready access to additional tissues and organ systems. If left untreated, necrotizing fasciitis can be fatal, sometimes within 48 hours.
The bacterial species group A Streptococcus, or group A strep, is the most common culprit behind necrotizing fasciitis. But the CDC’s latest warning points to an additional suspect, a type of bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus. There are only 150 to 200 cases of Vibrio vulnificus in the U.S. each year, but the mortality rate is high, with 1 in 5 people succumbing to the infection.
How do you catch flesh-eating bacteria?
Vibrio vulnificus primarily lives in warm seawater but can also be found in brackish water – areas where the ocean mixes with freshwater. Most infections in the U.S. occur in the warmer months, between May and October. People who swim, fish or wade in these bodies of water can contract the bacteria through an open wound or sore.
Vibrio vulnificus can also get into seafood harvested from these waters, especially shellfish like oysters. Eating such foods raw or undercooked can lead to food poisoning, and handling them while having an open wound can provide an entry point for the bacteria to cause necrotizing fasciitis. In the U.S., Vibrio vulnificus is a leading cause of seafood-associated fatality.
Why are flesh-eating bacteria infections rising?
Vibrio vulnificus is found in warm coastal waters around the world. In the U.S., this includes southern Gulf Coast states. But rising ocean temperatures due to global warming are creating new habitats for this type of bacteria, which can now be found along the East Coast as far north as New York and Connecticut. A recent study noted that Vibrio vulnificus wound infections increased eightfold between 1988 and 2018 in the eastern U.S.
Climate change is also fueling stronger hurricanes and storm surges, which have been associated with spikes in flesh-eating bacteria infection cases.
Aside from increasing water temperatures, the number of people who are most vulnerable to severe infection, including those with diabetes and those taking medications that suppress immunity, is on the rise.
What are the symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis? How is it treated?
Early symptoms of an infected wound include fever, redness, intense pain or swelling at the site of injury. If you have these symptoms, seek medical attention without delay. Necrotizing fasciitis can progress quickly, producing ulcers, blisters, skin discoloration and pus.
Treating flesh-eating bacteria is a race against time. Clinicians administer antibiotics directly into the bloodstream to kill the bacteria. In many cases, damaged tissue needs to be surgically removed to stop the rapid spread of the infection. This sometimes results in amputation of affected limbs.
Researchers are concerned that an increasing number of cases are becoming impossible to treat because Vibrio vulnificus has evolved resistance to certain antibiotics.
How do I protect myself?
The CDC offers several recommendations to help prevent infection.
People who have a fresh cut, including a new piercing or tattoo, are advised to stay out of water that could be home to Vibrio vulnificus. Otherwise, the wound should be completely covered with a waterproof bandage.
People with an open wound should also avoid handling raw seafood or fish. Wounds that occur while fishing, preparing seafood or swimming should be washed immediately and thoroughly with soap and water.
Anyone can contract necrotizing fasciitis, but people with weakened immune systems are most susceptible to severe disease. This includes people taking immunosuppressive medications or those who have pre-existing conditions such as liver disease, cancer, HIV or diabetes.
It is important to bear in mind that necrotizing fasciitis presently remains very rare. But given its severity, it is beneficial to stay informed.
Bill Sullivan, Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Special to Toronto Sun
Special to Toronto Sun
The Conversation
Published Sep 26, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
In September 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory alerting doctors and public health officials of an increase in flesh-eating bacteria cases that can cause serious wound infections.
In September 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory alerting doctors and public health officials of an increase in flesh-eating bacteria cases that can cause serious wound infections.
Flesh-eating bacteria sounds like the premise of a bad horror movie, but it’s a growing – and potentially fatal – threat to people.
In September 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory alerting doctors and public health officials of an increase in flesh-eating bacteria cases that can cause serious wound infections.
I’m a professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where my laboratory studies microbiology and infectious disease. Here’s why the CDC is so concerned about this deadly infection – and ways to avoid contracting it.
What does ‘flesh-eating’ mean?
There are several types of bacteria that can infect open wounds and cause a rare condition called necrotizing fasciitis. These bacteria do not merely damage the surface of the skin – they release toxins that destroy the underlying tissue, including muscles, nerves and blood vessels. Once the bacteria reach the bloodstream, they gain ready access to additional tissues and organ systems. If left untreated, necrotizing fasciitis can be fatal, sometimes within 48 hours.
The bacterial species group A Streptococcus, or group A strep, is the most common culprit behind necrotizing fasciitis. But the CDC’s latest warning points to an additional suspect, a type of bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus. There are only 150 to 200 cases of Vibrio vulnificus in the U.S. each year, but the mortality rate is high, with 1 in 5 people succumbing to the infection.
How do you catch flesh-eating bacteria?
Vibrio vulnificus primarily lives in warm seawater but can also be found in brackish water – areas where the ocean mixes with freshwater. Most infections in the U.S. occur in the warmer months, between May and October. People who swim, fish or wade in these bodies of water can contract the bacteria through an open wound or sore.
Vibrio vulnificus can also get into seafood harvested from these waters, especially shellfish like oysters. Eating such foods raw or undercooked can lead to food poisoning, and handling them while having an open wound can provide an entry point for the bacteria to cause necrotizing fasciitis. In the U.S., Vibrio vulnificus is a leading cause of seafood-associated fatality.
Why are flesh-eating bacteria infections rising?
Vibrio vulnificus is found in warm coastal waters around the world. In the U.S., this includes southern Gulf Coast states. But rising ocean temperatures due to global warming are creating new habitats for this type of bacteria, which can now be found along the East Coast as far north as New York and Connecticut. A recent study noted that Vibrio vulnificus wound infections increased eightfold between 1988 and 2018 in the eastern U.S.
Climate change is also fueling stronger hurricanes and storm surges, which have been associated with spikes in flesh-eating bacteria infection cases.
Aside from increasing water temperatures, the number of people who are most vulnerable to severe infection, including those with diabetes and those taking medications that suppress immunity, is on the rise.
What are the symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis? How is it treated?
Early symptoms of an infected wound include fever, redness, intense pain or swelling at the site of injury. If you have these symptoms, seek medical attention without delay. Necrotizing fasciitis can progress quickly, producing ulcers, blisters, skin discoloration and pus.
Treating flesh-eating bacteria is a race against time. Clinicians administer antibiotics directly into the bloodstream to kill the bacteria. In many cases, damaged tissue needs to be surgically removed to stop the rapid spread of the infection. This sometimes results in amputation of affected limbs.
Researchers are concerned that an increasing number of cases are becoming impossible to treat because Vibrio vulnificus has evolved resistance to certain antibiotics.
How do I protect myself?
The CDC offers several recommendations to help prevent infection.
People who have a fresh cut, including a new piercing or tattoo, are advised to stay out of water that could be home to Vibrio vulnificus. Otherwise, the wound should be completely covered with a waterproof bandage.
People with an open wound should also avoid handling raw seafood or fish. Wounds that occur while fishing, preparing seafood or swimming should be washed immediately and thoroughly with soap and water.
Anyone can contract necrotizing fasciitis, but people with weakened immune systems are most susceptible to severe disease. This includes people taking immunosuppressive medications or those who have pre-existing conditions such as liver disease, cancer, HIV or diabetes.
It is important to bear in mind that necrotizing fasciitis presently remains very rare. But given its severity, it is beneficial to stay informed.
Bill Sullivan, Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Flesh-eating bacteria infections on the rise. Here's how to protect yourself
Flesh-eating bacteria sounds like the premise of a bad horror movie, but it's a growing – and potentially fatal – threat to people.
Sitting all day increases dementia risk — even if you exercise
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Gretchen Reynolds
Published Sep 27, 2023 • 5 minute read
A new study suggests people who stay seated for long hours are at much higher risk of developing dementia.
A new study suggests people who stay seated for long hours are at much higher risk of developing dementia.
In news that we shouldn’t take sitting down, a study just published in JAMA finds that people who stay seated for long hours at work and home are at much higher risk of developing dementia than people who sit less.
The negative effects of extended sitting can be so strong, researchers found, that even people who exercise regularly face higher risk if they sit for much of the day.
The study, which involved 49,841 men and women aged 60 or older, “supports the idea that more time spent in sedentary behaviours increases one’s risk of dementia,” said Andrew Budson, a professor of neurology at Boston University and author of Seven Steps to Managing Your Aging Memory, who was not involved with the study.
The results also underscore just how pervasive the consequences of sitting can be, affecting our minds, as well as our bodies, and they hint that exercise by itself may not be enough to protect us.
– – – – –
The peril of sitting too much
The downsides of oversitting are well known to scientists and most of the rest of us. Past research shows that people who sit throughout the day, accumulating multiple hours of sedentary time at the office, commuting, and at home, in front of televisions and computers, are more likely to develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes and other illnesses and die prematurely than people who often get up and move around.
Sitting can even undermine exercise. According to other recent research, people who work out but then sit for the rest of the day wind up erasing some of the expected metabolic benefits of their exertions.
But whether sitting likewise affects brain health hasn’t been as clear. Some studies have linked sitting and later memory problems, including Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. But they’ve mostly relied on people’s recall of how much they sit, which can be quite inaccurate.
– – – – –
How much do people sit?
So, for the new study, scientists at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and other universities sought objective measures of sitting, and found it in the UK Biobank, a large repository of data about the lives, health and deaths of hundreds of thousands of British men and women.
Many of the Biobank participants wore a sophisticated activity tracker for a week after joining the study to minutely record their movements — and stillness — throughout the day.
The scientists pulled records for almost 50,000 of these men and women aged 60 or older who didn’t have dementia when they joined the study.
With the help of artificial intelligence algorithms that could interpret the tracker readouts, the scientists identified every minute during the day when people were moving or sedentary — meaning they were sitting or lying down, but not sleeping.
– – – – –
10 hours of sitting raises brain risks
Then they checked people’s medical status for the next seven years or so, looking for hospital or death records detailing a dementia diagnosis of any kind.
Finally, they cross-checked sitting habits and brain health. And they found strong correlations.
If the men and women sat for at least 10 hours a day, which many of them did, their risk of developing dementia within the next seven years was 8% higher than if they sat for fewer than 10 hours.
The risks ballooned from there, reaching a 63% greater risk of dementia for people who spent at least 12 hours chair-bound.
“Sitting in the office all day, then in front of the TV and in the car and all the other ways we find to sit, it adds up,” said David Raichlen, a professor of biological sciences and anthropology at the University of Southern California, who led the new study. “These extreme levels of sedentary behaviour are where we see a much higher risk” for cognitive and memory decline.
– – – – –
Exercise doesn’t undo sitting
Surprisingly, the researchers found little benefit from exercise.
People who worked out but then plopped into chairs for 10 hours or more were as prone to dementia as people who hadn’t exercised much at all.
“It looks like you can’t exercise your way out of the risk,” Raichlen said.
– – – – –
What about standing desks or walk breaks?
The same was true for walking and other short breaks. After adjusting for other factors, the researchers noted few improvements among people who interrupted their sitting time with breaks. If they got up and walked around, but still managed to sit for 10 or more hours a day, their risk didn’t change much. What ultimately mattered was how many hours, in total, a person spent in a chair most days.
Some questions remain about standing and standing desks, though, in part because it’s not always easy to differentiate between sitting and standing still in data from activity trackers. Standing generally isn’t considered sedentary behaviour, but whether it can lessen the brain risks from sitting is unclear from this study.
– – – – –
How do I lower my risk?
The best way to reduce dementia risk, Raichlen said, is to find ways to sit less overall. “People in our study who were sedentary for 9.5 hours a day didn’t have any increased risk,” he said.
If your job requires a lot of desk and computer time, look for opportunities during the day to be in motion. Stroll around your office while you’re on the phone. Schedule walking meetings. Pick up your lunch instead of having it delivered.
Try to keep track of how many hours you’re spending stationary. As they reach or exceed 10, Raichlen said, move more, Zoom less.
Of course, this study was associational and can’t prove sitting causes cognitive decline. It also doesn’t tell us how the two might be related.
“There have been suggestions cerebral blood flow is affected” by sitting, Raichlen said, reducing the brain’s supplies of oxygen and fuel. We also may snack and otherwise eat poorly when we sit for hours, especially in front of the TV, which could influence long-term brain health.
The encouraging news about oversitting, though, is that it can be undone, Raichlen said. “Sit less, move more. That’s the message, and we probably can’t repeat it enough.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Gretchen Reynolds
Published Sep 27, 2023 • 5 minute read
A new study suggests people who stay seated for long hours are at much higher risk of developing dementia.
A new study suggests people who stay seated for long hours are at much higher risk of developing dementia.
In news that we shouldn’t take sitting down, a study just published in JAMA finds that people who stay seated for long hours at work and home are at much higher risk of developing dementia than people who sit less.
The negative effects of extended sitting can be so strong, researchers found, that even people who exercise regularly face higher risk if they sit for much of the day.
The study, which involved 49,841 men and women aged 60 or older, “supports the idea that more time spent in sedentary behaviours increases one’s risk of dementia,” said Andrew Budson, a professor of neurology at Boston University and author of Seven Steps to Managing Your Aging Memory, who was not involved with the study.
The results also underscore just how pervasive the consequences of sitting can be, affecting our minds, as well as our bodies, and they hint that exercise by itself may not be enough to protect us.
– – – – –
The peril of sitting too much
The downsides of oversitting are well known to scientists and most of the rest of us. Past research shows that people who sit throughout the day, accumulating multiple hours of sedentary time at the office, commuting, and at home, in front of televisions and computers, are more likely to develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes and other illnesses and die prematurely than people who often get up and move around.
Sitting can even undermine exercise. According to other recent research, people who work out but then sit for the rest of the day wind up erasing some of the expected metabolic benefits of their exertions.
But whether sitting likewise affects brain health hasn’t been as clear. Some studies have linked sitting and later memory problems, including Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. But they’ve mostly relied on people’s recall of how much they sit, which can be quite inaccurate.
– – – – –
How much do people sit?
So, for the new study, scientists at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and other universities sought objective measures of sitting, and found it in the UK Biobank, a large repository of data about the lives, health and deaths of hundreds of thousands of British men and women.
Many of the Biobank participants wore a sophisticated activity tracker for a week after joining the study to minutely record their movements — and stillness — throughout the day.
The scientists pulled records for almost 50,000 of these men and women aged 60 or older who didn’t have dementia when they joined the study.
With the help of artificial intelligence algorithms that could interpret the tracker readouts, the scientists identified every minute during the day when people were moving or sedentary — meaning they were sitting or lying down, but not sleeping.
– – – – –
10 hours of sitting raises brain risks
Then they checked people’s medical status for the next seven years or so, looking for hospital or death records detailing a dementia diagnosis of any kind.
Finally, they cross-checked sitting habits and brain health. And they found strong correlations.
If the men and women sat for at least 10 hours a day, which many of them did, their risk of developing dementia within the next seven years was 8% higher than if they sat for fewer than 10 hours.
The risks ballooned from there, reaching a 63% greater risk of dementia for people who spent at least 12 hours chair-bound.
“Sitting in the office all day, then in front of the TV and in the car and all the other ways we find to sit, it adds up,” said David Raichlen, a professor of biological sciences and anthropology at the University of Southern California, who led the new study. “These extreme levels of sedentary behaviour are where we see a much higher risk” for cognitive and memory decline.
– – – – –
Exercise doesn’t undo sitting
Surprisingly, the researchers found little benefit from exercise.
People who worked out but then plopped into chairs for 10 hours or more were as prone to dementia as people who hadn’t exercised much at all.
“It looks like you can’t exercise your way out of the risk,” Raichlen said.
– – – – –
What about standing desks or walk breaks?
The same was true for walking and other short breaks. After adjusting for other factors, the researchers noted few improvements among people who interrupted their sitting time with breaks. If they got up and walked around, but still managed to sit for 10 or more hours a day, their risk didn’t change much. What ultimately mattered was how many hours, in total, a person spent in a chair most days.
Some questions remain about standing and standing desks, though, in part because it’s not always easy to differentiate between sitting and standing still in data from activity trackers. Standing generally isn’t considered sedentary behaviour, but whether it can lessen the brain risks from sitting is unclear from this study.
– – – – –
How do I lower my risk?
The best way to reduce dementia risk, Raichlen said, is to find ways to sit less overall. “People in our study who were sedentary for 9.5 hours a day didn’t have any increased risk,” he said.
If your job requires a lot of desk and computer time, look for opportunities during the day to be in motion. Stroll around your office while you’re on the phone. Schedule walking meetings. Pick up your lunch instead of having it delivered.
Try to keep track of how many hours you’re spending stationary. As they reach or exceed 10, Raichlen said, move more, Zoom less.
Of course, this study was associational and can’t prove sitting causes cognitive decline. It also doesn’t tell us how the two might be related.
“There have been suggestions cerebral blood flow is affected” by sitting, Raichlen said, reducing the brain’s supplies of oxygen and fuel. We also may snack and otherwise eat poorly when we sit for hours, especially in front of the TV, which could influence long-term brain health.
The encouraging news about oversitting, though, is that it can be undone, Raichlen said. “Sit less, move more. That’s the message, and we probably can’t repeat it enough.”
Sitting all day increases dementia risk — even if you exercise
A study published in JAMA finds that people who stay seated for long hours at work and home are at much higher risk of developing dementia.
Ontario NDP asks auditor to probe land expansions in wake of Greenbelt report
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Sep 29, 2023 • 3 minute read
Ontario New Democrats are asking the auditor general's office to investigate the province's expansion of some municipal boundaries.
Ontario New Democrats asked the auditor general’s office on Friday to launch a new investigation of the government’s land-use policies by probing its expansion of some municipal boundaries.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles and two other caucus members said in a letter to the acting auditor general — Bonnie Lysyk’s term expired and the province has not yet named a new auditor general — that their request follows the office’s “explosive” Greenbelt report that found the process to select lands for removal from the protected area favoured certain developers.
Premier Doug Ford ultimately reversed his Greenbelt plan after that report and another one from the integrity commissioner, which made similar findings.
The NDP claimed there is evidence that preferential treatment was given in the urban boundary expansions — against the wishes of some affected municipalities — to some of the same developers that stood to benefit from the Greenbelt land removals.
“These forced urban boundaries are the other half of Ford’s Greenbelt scheme that benefited wealthy land speculators,” said Sandy Shaw, who represents Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas.
“I call on Ford to do the right thing and respect the decisions of our Hamilton council and community by cancelling this plan.”
CBC has reported that in Hamilton land added to the city’s urban boundary for growth contains properties owned in part by two developers with lands in the Greenbelt parcels in question.
A spokesperson for Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra said the province will continue to “take decisive action” to ensure municipalities can meet their housing targets.
“The province follows a standard official plan review and amendment process that is open to the public and which has the goal of ensuring municipalities are properly prepared to accommodate growth,” Alexandru Cioban wrote in a statement.
“In the case of Hamilton and Waterloo, the municipalities chose to ignore their own staff recommendations, which found that existing urban boundaries must be expanded in order to meet long-term housing needs.”
The NDP is asking the office to conduct a value-for-money audit and assess the financial and environmental impacts of the government’s changes to municipal official plans for Hamilton, Ottawa, Waterloo, York, Peel, Niagara, Peterborough, Halton and Wellington, as well as ministerial zoning orders, which override local zoning bylaws.
“We ask that your office specifically consider whether such decisions were evidence based and consistent with provincial plans, policies and statutes, as well as their impact on the smooth functioning of municipal and provincial planning and approval processes,” the NDP wrote.
“We also ask that you investigate whether the decision-making process adhered to standards of conduct expected of officials in a position of public trust, including standards concerning conflicts of interest and preferential treatment. Finally, we also ask that you determine how much wealth was transferred to affected property owners as a result of such decisions and whether this transfer was in the public interest.”
Lysyk found in her Greenbelt investigation that more than 90% of the land removed was in five sites passed on to then-housing minister Steve Clark’s chief of staff, Ryan Amato, by two developers Amato met at an industry event.
The property owners with land removed from the Greenbelt stood to see their land value rise by $8.3 billion, the auditor general found.
The integrity commissioner said in his August report that he had no evidence of developers being specifically tipped off that the government was considering Greenbelt removals — though he found one developer “questionable” on that point — but that Amato’s actions and conversations with them had that effect.
Clark and Amato have both since resigned.
The RCMP is reviewing information to determine whether it should investigate the Greenbelt land swap. Ford has said he is confident nothing criminal took place.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Sep 29, 2023 • 3 minute read
Ontario New Democrats are asking the auditor general's office to investigate the province's expansion of some municipal boundaries.
Ontario New Democrats asked the auditor general’s office on Friday to launch a new investigation of the government’s land-use policies by probing its expansion of some municipal boundaries.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles and two other caucus members said in a letter to the acting auditor general — Bonnie Lysyk’s term expired and the province has not yet named a new auditor general — that their request follows the office’s “explosive” Greenbelt report that found the process to select lands for removal from the protected area favoured certain developers.
Premier Doug Ford ultimately reversed his Greenbelt plan after that report and another one from the integrity commissioner, which made similar findings.
The NDP claimed there is evidence that preferential treatment was given in the urban boundary expansions — against the wishes of some affected municipalities — to some of the same developers that stood to benefit from the Greenbelt land removals.
“These forced urban boundaries are the other half of Ford’s Greenbelt scheme that benefited wealthy land speculators,” said Sandy Shaw, who represents Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas.
“I call on Ford to do the right thing and respect the decisions of our Hamilton council and community by cancelling this plan.”
CBC has reported that in Hamilton land added to the city’s urban boundary for growth contains properties owned in part by two developers with lands in the Greenbelt parcels in question.
A spokesperson for Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra said the province will continue to “take decisive action” to ensure municipalities can meet their housing targets.
“The province follows a standard official plan review and amendment process that is open to the public and which has the goal of ensuring municipalities are properly prepared to accommodate growth,” Alexandru Cioban wrote in a statement.
“In the case of Hamilton and Waterloo, the municipalities chose to ignore their own staff recommendations, which found that existing urban boundaries must be expanded in order to meet long-term housing needs.”
The NDP is asking the office to conduct a value-for-money audit and assess the financial and environmental impacts of the government’s changes to municipal official plans for Hamilton, Ottawa, Waterloo, York, Peel, Niagara, Peterborough, Halton and Wellington, as well as ministerial zoning orders, which override local zoning bylaws.
“We ask that your office specifically consider whether such decisions were evidence based and consistent with provincial plans, policies and statutes, as well as their impact on the smooth functioning of municipal and provincial planning and approval processes,” the NDP wrote.
“We also ask that you investigate whether the decision-making process adhered to standards of conduct expected of officials in a position of public trust, including standards concerning conflicts of interest and preferential treatment. Finally, we also ask that you determine how much wealth was transferred to affected property owners as a result of such decisions and whether this transfer was in the public interest.”
Lysyk found in her Greenbelt investigation that more than 90% of the land removed was in five sites passed on to then-housing minister Steve Clark’s chief of staff, Ryan Amato, by two developers Amato met at an industry event.
The property owners with land removed from the Greenbelt stood to see their land value rise by $8.3 billion, the auditor general found.
The integrity commissioner said in his August report that he had no evidence of developers being specifically tipped off that the government was considering Greenbelt removals — though he found one developer “questionable” on that point — but that Amato’s actions and conversations with them had that effect.
Clark and Amato have both since resigned.
The RCMP is reviewing information to determine whether it should investigate the Greenbelt land swap. Ford has said he is confident nothing criminal took place.
Ontario NDP asks auditor to probe land expansions in wake of Greenbelt report
Ontario New Democrats asked the auditor general's office on Friday to launch a new investigation of the government's land-use policies.
Chris Hemsworth overhauls lifestyle following Alzheimer's risk warning
Author of the article:Bang Showbiz
Bang Showbiz
Published Oct 03, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
Chris Hemsworth has overhauled his lifestyle to prioritize his brain health after learning he has an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The Thor actor discovered through genetic testing on his Limitless docuseries that his chances of developing the degenerative condition are eight to 10 times higher than average, and as a result he’s made a number of changes to his day-to-day life and routines.
He told Men’s Health magazine: “Now, I’m incorporating more solitude into my life.
“I’ve always been pretty consistent with my exercise commitments, but lately I’ve really felt the importance of taking time for yourself without any outside voice or stimulation and making time for stillness.”
The 40-year-old actor – who has 11-year-old daughter India and nine-year-old twin sons Tristan and Sasha with wife Elsa Pataky – finds the time to incorporate mindfulness activities into his day.
He said: “I do a lot of meditation and breath work mostly during sauna and ice bath routines.
“For me my favourite mindfulness work comes from the immersion in physical actives that allow me to be fully present and force me out of me head and into my body, in particular surfing.”
And Chris has been prioritizing sleeping well and having a “consistent” bedtime routine.
He said: “I have a more consistent approach to my sleep. Try to stay off screens an hour before bed and read most nights definitely helps. In addition focusing on not being attached to every thought and be the observer to the noise when possible, just stepping back from the internal chatter.”
The Extraction actor has also changed his fitness routine.
He explained: “My weight fluctuates a lot due to differing roles and also my own interests in regards to challenging my body in different ways.
“I’m lifting less frequently than I was and I’m incorporating more cardio and endurance workouts which I much prefer than heavy body building style sessions.”
menshealth.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Bang Showbiz
Bang Showbiz
Published Oct 03, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
Chris Hemsworth has overhauled his lifestyle to prioritize his brain health after learning he has an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The Thor actor discovered through genetic testing on his Limitless docuseries that his chances of developing the degenerative condition are eight to 10 times higher than average, and as a result he’s made a number of changes to his day-to-day life and routines.
He told Men’s Health magazine: “Now, I’m incorporating more solitude into my life.
“I’ve always been pretty consistent with my exercise commitments, but lately I’ve really felt the importance of taking time for yourself without any outside voice or stimulation and making time for stillness.”
The 40-year-old actor – who has 11-year-old daughter India and nine-year-old twin sons Tristan and Sasha with wife Elsa Pataky – finds the time to incorporate mindfulness activities into his day.
He said: “I do a lot of meditation and breath work mostly during sauna and ice bath routines.
“For me my favourite mindfulness work comes from the immersion in physical actives that allow me to be fully present and force me out of me head and into my body, in particular surfing.”
And Chris has been prioritizing sleeping well and having a “consistent” bedtime routine.
He said: “I have a more consistent approach to my sleep. Try to stay off screens an hour before bed and read most nights definitely helps. In addition focusing on not being attached to every thought and be the observer to the noise when possible, just stepping back from the internal chatter.”
The Extraction actor has also changed his fitness routine.
He explained: “My weight fluctuates a lot due to differing roles and also my own interests in regards to challenging my body in different ways.
“I’m lifting less frequently than I was and I’m incorporating more cardio and endurance workouts which I much prefer than heavy body building style sessions.”
Chris Hemsworth Has an Increased Risk of Alzheimer’s. He’s Fighting Back.
By opening up about his risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the jacked superhero revealed a vulnerability not found on Asgard.
Chris Hemsworth overhauls lifestyle following Alzheimer's risk warning
Chris Hemsworth has overhauled his lifestyle to prioritize his brain health after learning he has an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Bedbugs torment Paris ahead of 2024 Olympics
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Kelly Kasulis Cho
Published Oct 03, 2023 • 2 minute read
Every year, hordes of tourists descend upon Paris with a shortlist of concerns: pickpockets, steep hotel prices, how to get skip-the-line tickets and the most polite way to decline a stranger’s offer of a friendship bracelet outside the Sacré-Coeur.
But as the French capital prepares to welcome millions of visitors for the 2024 Summer Olympics, a different issue has caught the eye of government officials: bedbugs. Lots of them.
Apparent footage of the insects has gone viral on social media platforms such as TikTok, prompting some users to post videos of themselves standing on the metro instead of taking an open seat or warning about infestations in their Airbnbs. Social media posts appeared to show bedbugs on the metro and in public buses. One showed bedbug bites all over a person’s body, purportedly after visiting a movie theater.
Paris’s deputy mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, wrote a letter last week to Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne calling for solutions to the bedbug problem, local media reported. “The state urgently needs to put an action plan in place against this scourge as France is preparing to welcome the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024,” Grégoire wrote, according to French TV news outlet TF1 Info.
The deputy mayor also attempted to reassure the public on social media, but he still made his warning clear: “No one is safe” from an infestation, he said.
French Transportation Minister Clément Beaune wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that he planned to meet with transport operators to discuss the issue.
About 1 in 10 French households were infested with bedbugs between 2017 and 2022, according to a recent survey from French health agency ANSES, which warned that infestations were on the rise due to an uptick in travel and increasing resistance to pesticides.
“Bed bugs are a costly nuisance for households in metropolitan France, considering the expense of treatment and the psychological impact,” the agency wrote in its report. It added that bedbugs are not known to transmit disease when they bite humans, but they are associated with a lower quality of life, sleep disorders and mental health issues.
Local media also reported bedbug and cockroach sightings on public transit in France’s second-most populous city, Marseille, with one resident telling the news network BFM TV that she undresses on her balcony before entering her house in an attempt to keep the pests out.
Last week, a college student captured footage of what appeared to be bedbugs on a high-speed train line linking the city to Paris – little brown insects contrasting with blue-and-white striped chairs, easily visible in the daylight.
“Everyone looked at their seats and looked at their skin to see if they had been bitten by a bedbug,” he said in a video interview translated by Le Parisien. “It was very anxiety-inducing.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Kelly Kasulis Cho
Published Oct 03, 2023 • 2 minute read
Every year, hordes of tourists descend upon Paris with a shortlist of concerns: pickpockets, steep hotel prices, how to get skip-the-line tickets and the most polite way to decline a stranger’s offer of a friendship bracelet outside the Sacré-Coeur.
But as the French capital prepares to welcome millions of visitors for the 2024 Summer Olympics, a different issue has caught the eye of government officials: bedbugs. Lots of them.
Apparent footage of the insects has gone viral on social media platforms such as TikTok, prompting some users to post videos of themselves standing on the metro instead of taking an open seat or warning about infestations in their Airbnbs. Social media posts appeared to show bedbugs on the metro and in public buses. One showed bedbug bites all over a person’s body, purportedly after visiting a movie theater.
Paris’s deputy mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, wrote a letter last week to Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne calling for solutions to the bedbug problem, local media reported. “The state urgently needs to put an action plan in place against this scourge as France is preparing to welcome the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024,” Grégoire wrote, according to French TV news outlet TF1 Info.
The deputy mayor also attempted to reassure the public on social media, but he still made his warning clear: “No one is safe” from an infestation, he said.
French Transportation Minister Clément Beaune wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that he planned to meet with transport operators to discuss the issue.
About 1 in 10 French households were infested with bedbugs between 2017 and 2022, according to a recent survey from French health agency ANSES, which warned that infestations were on the rise due to an uptick in travel and increasing resistance to pesticides.
“Bed bugs are a costly nuisance for households in metropolitan France, considering the expense of treatment and the psychological impact,” the agency wrote in its report. It added that bedbugs are not known to transmit disease when they bite humans, but they are associated with a lower quality of life, sleep disorders and mental health issues.
Local media also reported bedbug and cockroach sightings on public transit in France’s second-most populous city, Marseille, with one resident telling the news network BFM TV that she undresses on her balcony before entering her house in an attempt to keep the pests out.
Last week, a college student captured footage of what appeared to be bedbugs on a high-speed train line linking the city to Paris – little brown insects contrasting with blue-and-white striped chairs, easily visible in the daylight.
“Everyone looked at their seats and looked at their skin to see if they had been bitten by a bedbug,” he said in a video interview translated by Le Parisien. “It was very anxiety-inducing.”
'NO ONE IS SAFE': Bedbugs torment Paris ahead of 2024 Olympics
Apparent footage of the insects has gone viral on social media platforms such as TikTok.
Trio wins Nobel Prize in physics for split-second glimpse of superfast spinning world of electrons
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
David Keyton, Seth Borenstein And John Leicester
Published Oct 03, 2023 • 5 minute read
The Nobel Prize in physics has been awarded to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier for looking at electrons in atoms by the tiniest of split seconds.
The Nobel Prize in physics has been awarded to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier for looking at electrons in atoms by the tiniest of split seconds.
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for giving us the first split-second glimpse into the superfast world of spinning electrons, a field that could one day lead to better electronics or disease diagnoses.
The award went to French-Swedish physicist Anne L’Huillier, French scientist Pierre Agostini and Hungarian-born Ferenc Krausz for their work with the tiny part of each atom that races around the center and is fundamental to virtually everything: chemistry, physics, our bodies and our gadgets.
Electrons move so fast that they have been out of reach of human efforts to isolate them, but by looking at the tiniest fraction of a second possible, scientists now have a “blurry” glimpse of them and that opens up whole new sciences, experts said.
“The electrons are very fast, and the electrons are really the workforce in everywhere,” Nobel Committee member Mats Larsson said. “Once you can control and understand electrons, you have taken a very big step forward.”
L’Huillier, of Lund University in Sweden, is the fifth woman to receive a Nobel in physics.
“For all the women, I say if you are interested, if you have a little bit of passion for this type of challenges, so just go for it,” she told The Associated Press.
WHAT DISCOVERY WON THE NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS?
The scientists, who worked separately, used ever-quicker laser pulses to catch the atomic action that happened at such dizzying speeds — one quintillionth of a second, known as an attosecond _ much like the way photographers use fast shutters to capture a hummingbird feeding.
How small is that?
“Let’s take one second, which is the time of a heartbeat,” Nobel Committee chair Eva Olsson said. To get the realm of the attosecond, that would have to be divided by 1,000 six times.
Physicist Mark Pearce, a Nobel Committee member, said “there are as many attoseconds in a second as there are seconds which have passed since the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago.”
But even when scientists “see” the electron, there’s only so much they can view.
“You can see whether it’s on the one side of a molecule or on the other,” said L’Huillier, 65. “It’s still very blurry.”
“The electrons are much more like waves, like water waves, than particles and what we try to measure with our technique is the position of the crest of the waves,” she added.
WHY DO ELECTRONS MATTER?
Electrons are key because that’s “how the atoms bind together,” L’Huillier said. It’s where chemical reactions occur.
“Electrons are, even if we can’t see them, omnipresent in our life — our biological life and also our technical life, in our everyday life,” Krausz said at a news conference. “In our biological life, electrons form the adhesive between atoms, with which they form molecules and these molecules are then the smallest functional building stones of every living organism.”
And if you want to understand how they work, you need to know how they move, Krausz said.
At the moment, this science is about understanding our universe, but the hope is that it will eventually have practical applications in electronics, diagnosing diseases and basic chemistry.
L’Huillier said her work shows how important it is to work on fundamental science regardless of future applications: She spent 30 years on it before possible real world uses became more apparent.
HOW DID ANNE L’HUILLIER, FERENC KRAUSZ AND PIERRE AGOSTINI REACT?
L’Huillier was teaching basic engineering physics to about 100 undergraduates at Lund when she got the call that she had won, but her phone was on silent and she didn’t pick up. She checked it during a break and called the Nobel Committee.
Then she went back to teaching.
“I was very concentrated, forgot about the Nobel Prize and tried to finish my lecture,” she told the AP. She finished the class a little early so she could speak to the news conference announcing the prize at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.
“This is the most prestigious and I am so happy to get this prize. It’s incredible,” she told the news conference. “As you know there are not so many women who got this prize so it’s very special.”
The Nobel organization posted a photo of L’Huillier on social media holding a mobile phone to her ear.
“Dedicated teacher alert!” the post on X, formerly Twitter, said. “Not even the 2023 #NobelPrize in Physics could tear Anne L’Huillier from her students.”
And L’Huillier said because the prize was a secret at the time, she wasn’t allowed to tell the students what happened, but she said they guessed.
Agostini, an emeritus professor at Ohio State University, was in Paris and could not be reached by the Nobel Committee before it announced his win to the world.
“I haven’t had a telephone call from the committee. Perhaps it’s not true. I don’t know,” he told the AP, laughing. “I think the committee is looking for me in Columbus.”
“There are certainly younger people who would have appreciated it far more than me,” the 82-year-old joked. “It’s good but it is a bit late for me.”
But, he added, “I don’t think I would have deserved it more earlier!”
Krausz, of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, told reporters he was bewildered.
“I have been trying to figure out since 11 a.m. … whether I’m in reality or it’s just a long dream,” the 61-year-old said.
The phone call from the Nobel committee said “no caller ID” and Krausz usually doesn’t answer those calls, but this time, he said, “I thought I’d try it and then it became clear that I can’t hang up so quickly.”
Last year, Krausz and L’Huillier won the prestigious Wolf prize in physics for their work, sharing it with University of Ottawa scientist Paul Corkum. Nobel prizes are limited to only three winners and Krausz said it was a shame it could not include Corkum.
Corkum was key to how the split-second laser flashes could be measured, which was crucial, Krausz said.
The Nobel Prizes carry a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million) from a bequest left by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel.
The physics prize comes a day after two scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries that enabled the creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
David Keyton, Seth Borenstein And John Leicester
Published Oct 03, 2023 • 5 minute read
The Nobel Prize in physics has been awarded to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier for looking at electrons in atoms by the tiniest of split seconds.
The Nobel Prize in physics has been awarded to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier for looking at electrons in atoms by the tiniest of split seconds.
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for giving us the first split-second glimpse into the superfast world of spinning electrons, a field that could one day lead to better electronics or disease diagnoses.
The award went to French-Swedish physicist Anne L’Huillier, French scientist Pierre Agostini and Hungarian-born Ferenc Krausz for their work with the tiny part of each atom that races around the center and is fundamental to virtually everything: chemistry, physics, our bodies and our gadgets.
Electrons move so fast that they have been out of reach of human efforts to isolate them, but by looking at the tiniest fraction of a second possible, scientists now have a “blurry” glimpse of them and that opens up whole new sciences, experts said.
“The electrons are very fast, and the electrons are really the workforce in everywhere,” Nobel Committee member Mats Larsson said. “Once you can control and understand electrons, you have taken a very big step forward.”
L’Huillier, of Lund University in Sweden, is the fifth woman to receive a Nobel in physics.
“For all the women, I say if you are interested, if you have a little bit of passion for this type of challenges, so just go for it,” she told The Associated Press.
WHAT DISCOVERY WON THE NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS?
The scientists, who worked separately, used ever-quicker laser pulses to catch the atomic action that happened at such dizzying speeds — one quintillionth of a second, known as an attosecond _ much like the way photographers use fast shutters to capture a hummingbird feeding.
How small is that?
“Let’s take one second, which is the time of a heartbeat,” Nobel Committee chair Eva Olsson said. To get the realm of the attosecond, that would have to be divided by 1,000 six times.
Physicist Mark Pearce, a Nobel Committee member, said “there are as many attoseconds in a second as there are seconds which have passed since the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago.”
But even when scientists “see” the electron, there’s only so much they can view.
“You can see whether it’s on the one side of a molecule or on the other,” said L’Huillier, 65. “It’s still very blurry.”
“The electrons are much more like waves, like water waves, than particles and what we try to measure with our technique is the position of the crest of the waves,” she added.
WHY DO ELECTRONS MATTER?
Electrons are key because that’s “how the atoms bind together,” L’Huillier said. It’s where chemical reactions occur.
“Electrons are, even if we can’t see them, omnipresent in our life — our biological life and also our technical life, in our everyday life,” Krausz said at a news conference. “In our biological life, electrons form the adhesive between atoms, with which they form molecules and these molecules are then the smallest functional building stones of every living organism.”
And if you want to understand how they work, you need to know how they move, Krausz said.
At the moment, this science is about understanding our universe, but the hope is that it will eventually have practical applications in electronics, diagnosing diseases and basic chemistry.
L’Huillier said her work shows how important it is to work on fundamental science regardless of future applications: She spent 30 years on it before possible real world uses became more apparent.
HOW DID ANNE L’HUILLIER, FERENC KRAUSZ AND PIERRE AGOSTINI REACT?
L’Huillier was teaching basic engineering physics to about 100 undergraduates at Lund when she got the call that she had won, but her phone was on silent and she didn’t pick up. She checked it during a break and called the Nobel Committee.
Then she went back to teaching.
“I was very concentrated, forgot about the Nobel Prize and tried to finish my lecture,” she told the AP. She finished the class a little early so she could speak to the news conference announcing the prize at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.
“This is the most prestigious and I am so happy to get this prize. It’s incredible,” she told the news conference. “As you know there are not so many women who got this prize so it’s very special.”
The Nobel organization posted a photo of L’Huillier on social media holding a mobile phone to her ear.
“Dedicated teacher alert!” the post on X, formerly Twitter, said. “Not even the 2023 #NobelPrize in Physics could tear Anne L’Huillier from her students.”
And L’Huillier said because the prize was a secret at the time, she wasn’t allowed to tell the students what happened, but she said they guessed.
Agostini, an emeritus professor at Ohio State University, was in Paris and could not be reached by the Nobel Committee before it announced his win to the world.
“I haven’t had a telephone call from the committee. Perhaps it’s not true. I don’t know,” he told the AP, laughing. “I think the committee is looking for me in Columbus.”
“There are certainly younger people who would have appreciated it far more than me,” the 82-year-old joked. “It’s good but it is a bit late for me.”
But, he added, “I don’t think I would have deserved it more earlier!”
Krausz, of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, told reporters he was bewildered.
“I have been trying to figure out since 11 a.m. … whether I’m in reality or it’s just a long dream,” the 61-year-old said.
The phone call from the Nobel committee said “no caller ID” and Krausz usually doesn’t answer those calls, but this time, he said, “I thought I’d try it and then it became clear that I can’t hang up so quickly.”
Last year, Krausz and L’Huillier won the prestigious Wolf prize in physics for their work, sharing it with University of Ottawa scientist Paul Corkum. Nobel prizes are limited to only three winners and Krausz said it was a shame it could not include Corkum.
Corkum was key to how the split-second laser flashes could be measured, which was crucial, Krausz said.
The Nobel Prizes carry a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million) from a bequest left by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel.
The physics prize comes a day after two scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries that enabled the creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
Trio wins Nobel Prize in physics for split-second glimpse of superfast spinning world of electrons
Prize awarded for split-second glimpse of superfast spinning world of electrons.
Trio wins Nobel Prize in chemistry for work on quantum dots, used in electronics and medical imaging
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
David Keyton, Mike Corder And Christina Larson
Published Oct 04, 2023 • 5 minute read
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Three scientists in the United States won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their work on quantum dots _ particles just a few atoms in diameter that can release very bright colored light and whose applications in everyday life include electronics and medical imaging.
Moungi Bawendi, of MIT; Louis Brus, of Columbia University; and Alexei Ekimov, of Nanocrystals Technology Inc., were honored for their work with the tiny particles that “have unique properties and now spread their light from television screens and LED lamps,” according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which announced the award in Stockholm.
“Why does it matter, right, that we can make tiny particles that nobody can see, but they have colors?” Pernilla Witting Stafshede, a member of Nobel committee that awarded the prize. This is actually used today both in medicine and technology already out today. … But we have displays on TVs, in your cell phone, that use quantum dots inside to make just brighter colors.”
The suspense surrounding the academy’s decision took an unusual turn when Swedish media reported the names of the winners several hours before the prize was announced. The advance notice apparently came from a news release sent out early by mistake.
WHAT DISCOVERY WON THE NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY?
Quantum dots’ electrons have constrained movement, which affects how they absorb and release visible light, allowing for very bright colors.
The dots are nanoparticles that glow blue, red, or green when illuminated or exposed to light. The color they emit depends on the size of the particles. Larger dots shine red, and smaller dots shine blue. The color change is due to how electrons act in more or less confined spaces.
While physicists had predicted these color-change properties as early as the 1930s, creating quantum dots of specific controlled sizes was not possible in the lab for another five decades.
Ekimov, 78, and Brus, 80, were early pioneers of the technology, while Bawendi, 62, is credited with revolutionizing the production of quantum dots “resulting in almost perfect particles. This high quality was necessary for them to be utilized in applications,” the academy said.
“The community realized the implications in the mid-90s, that there could potentially be some real-world applications,” he said.
Judy Giordan, president of the American Chemical Society, said she was thrilled at the selection of the winners.
“What we care about a lot in chemistry is being able to make and tailor novel structures and architectures to solve problems that help people and the planet,” Girodan said.
WERE THE WINNERS ANNOUNCED PREMATURELY?
Swedish media reported hours before Wednesday’s announcement that the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences had sent out a news release that identified Bawendi, Brus and Ekimov as the latest Nobel laureates.
Public broadcaster SVT said the release said the trio were receiving the prize for the “discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.”
After officially announcing the three winners, Secretary-General Hans Ellegren said the Swedish academy would investigation how the information got out in advance.
“There was a press release sent out for still unknown reasons. We have been very active this morning to find out exactly what happened,” , said during the news conference where the award was announced. “This is very unfortunate and we deeply regret what happened.”
The academy, which awards the physics, chemistry and economics prizes, asks for nominations a year in advance from thousands of university professors and other scholars around the world.
A committee for each prize then discusses candidates in a series of meetings throughout the year. At the end of the process, the committee presents one or more proposals to the full academy for a vote. The deliberations, including the names of nominees other than the winners, are kept confidential for 50 years.
HOW DID THE WINNERS REACT?
Bawendi told the news conference he was “very surprised, sleepy, shocked, unexpected and very honored.”
Asked about the leak, Bawendi said he didn’t know he’d been made a Nobel laureate until he was called by the academy.
He said he was not thinking about the possible applications of his work when he started researching quantum dots.
“The motivation really is the basic science. A basic understanding, the curiosity of how does the world work? And that’s what drives scientists and academic scientists to do what they do,” he said.
Brus said he didn’t pick up the phone when the early morning call came from the Swedish academy to notify him.
“It was ringing during the night, but I didn’t answer it because I’m trying to get some sleep, basically,” he told The Associated Press. He finally saw the news online when he got up around 6 a.m.
“I certainly was not expecting this,” Brus said.
Brus said he was glad to see recognition for the area of chemistry he practices. The practical applications of quantum dots, like creating the colors in flatscreen TVs, are something he was hoping for when he started the work decades ago,he said.
“Basic research is extremely hard to predict exactly how it’s going to work out,” Brus said. “It’s more for the knowledge base than it is for the actual materials. But in this case, it’s both.”
On Tuesday, the physics prize went to French-Swedish physicist Anne L’Huillier, French scientist Pierre Agostini and Hungarian-born Ferenc Krausz for producing the first split-second glimpse into the super-fast world of spinning electrons.
On Monday, Hungarian-American Katalin Kariko and American Drew Weissman won the Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries that enabled the creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
The chemistry prize means Nobel season has reached its halfway stage. The prizes in literature, peace and economics follow, with one announcement every weekday until Oct. 9.
The Nobel Foundation raised the prize money by 10% this year to 11 million kronor (about $1 million). In addition to the money, winners receive an 18-carat gold medal and diploma when they collect their Nobel Prizes at the award ceremonies in December.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
David Keyton, Mike Corder And Christina Larson
Published Oct 04, 2023 • 5 minute read
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Three scientists in the United States won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their work on quantum dots _ particles just a few atoms in diameter that can release very bright colored light and whose applications in everyday life include electronics and medical imaging.
Moungi Bawendi, of MIT; Louis Brus, of Columbia University; and Alexei Ekimov, of Nanocrystals Technology Inc., were honored for their work with the tiny particles that “have unique properties and now spread their light from television screens and LED lamps,” according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which announced the award in Stockholm.
“Why does it matter, right, that we can make tiny particles that nobody can see, but they have colors?” Pernilla Witting Stafshede, a member of Nobel committee that awarded the prize. This is actually used today both in medicine and technology already out today. … But we have displays on TVs, in your cell phone, that use quantum dots inside to make just brighter colors.”
The suspense surrounding the academy’s decision took an unusual turn when Swedish media reported the names of the winners several hours before the prize was announced. The advance notice apparently came from a news release sent out early by mistake.
WHAT DISCOVERY WON THE NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY?
Quantum dots’ electrons have constrained movement, which affects how they absorb and release visible light, allowing for very bright colors.
The dots are nanoparticles that glow blue, red, or green when illuminated or exposed to light. The color they emit depends on the size of the particles. Larger dots shine red, and smaller dots shine blue. The color change is due to how electrons act in more or less confined spaces.
While physicists had predicted these color-change properties as early as the 1930s, creating quantum dots of specific controlled sizes was not possible in the lab for another five decades.
Ekimov, 78, and Brus, 80, were early pioneers of the technology, while Bawendi, 62, is credited with revolutionizing the production of quantum dots “resulting in almost perfect particles. This high quality was necessary for them to be utilized in applications,” the academy said.
“The community realized the implications in the mid-90s, that there could potentially be some real-world applications,” he said.
Judy Giordan, president of the American Chemical Society, said she was thrilled at the selection of the winners.
“What we care about a lot in chemistry is being able to make and tailor novel structures and architectures to solve problems that help people and the planet,” Girodan said.
WERE THE WINNERS ANNOUNCED PREMATURELY?
Swedish media reported hours before Wednesday’s announcement that the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences had sent out a news release that identified Bawendi, Brus and Ekimov as the latest Nobel laureates.
Public broadcaster SVT said the release said the trio were receiving the prize for the “discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.”
After officially announcing the three winners, Secretary-General Hans Ellegren said the Swedish academy would investigation how the information got out in advance.
“There was a press release sent out for still unknown reasons. We have been very active this morning to find out exactly what happened,” , said during the news conference where the award was announced. “This is very unfortunate and we deeply regret what happened.”
The academy, which awards the physics, chemistry and economics prizes, asks for nominations a year in advance from thousands of university professors and other scholars around the world.
A committee for each prize then discusses candidates in a series of meetings throughout the year. At the end of the process, the committee presents one or more proposals to the full academy for a vote. The deliberations, including the names of nominees other than the winners, are kept confidential for 50 years.
HOW DID THE WINNERS REACT?
Bawendi told the news conference he was “very surprised, sleepy, shocked, unexpected and very honored.”
Asked about the leak, Bawendi said he didn’t know he’d been made a Nobel laureate until he was called by the academy.
He said he was not thinking about the possible applications of his work when he started researching quantum dots.
“The motivation really is the basic science. A basic understanding, the curiosity of how does the world work? And that’s what drives scientists and academic scientists to do what they do,” he said.
Brus said he didn’t pick up the phone when the early morning call came from the Swedish academy to notify him.
“It was ringing during the night, but I didn’t answer it because I’m trying to get some sleep, basically,” he told The Associated Press. He finally saw the news online when he got up around 6 a.m.
“I certainly was not expecting this,” Brus said.
Brus said he was glad to see recognition for the area of chemistry he practices. The practical applications of quantum dots, like creating the colors in flatscreen TVs, are something he was hoping for when he started the work decades ago,he said.
“Basic research is extremely hard to predict exactly how it’s going to work out,” Brus said. “It’s more for the knowledge base than it is for the actual materials. But in this case, it’s both.”
On Tuesday, the physics prize went to French-Swedish physicist Anne L’Huillier, French scientist Pierre Agostini and Hungarian-born Ferenc Krausz for producing the first split-second glimpse into the super-fast world of spinning electrons.
On Monday, Hungarian-American Katalin Kariko and American Drew Weissman won the Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries that enabled the creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
The chemistry prize means Nobel season has reached its halfway stage. The prizes in literature, peace and economics follow, with one announcement every weekday until Oct. 9.
The Nobel Foundation raised the prize money by 10% this year to 11 million kronor (about $1 million). In addition to the money, winners receive an 18-carat gold medal and diploma when they collect their Nobel Prizes at the award ceremonies in December.
Trio wins Nobel Prize in chemistry for work on quantum dots, used in electronics and medical imaging
Three scientists in the United States won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their work on quantum dots.
Connected vehicles can be at risk of hacking, consumer awareness paramount: experts
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Ritika Dubey
Published Oct 08, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 5 minute read
Blasting the heat with a remote sensor before you even get into your vehicle on a brisk winter morning is a welcome convenience. So are the comforts of lane assistance, voice command, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
But experts warn modern, connected vehicles, which are heavily packed with microchips and sophisticated software, can offer an open door to hackers.
These cars are vulnerable to hackers stealing sensitive information or even manipulating systems such as steering wheels and brakes, said Robert Falzon, head of engineering for Markham, Ont.-based cybersecurity solutions company Checkpoint Canada.
“Cars are tracking how fast you’re going, where you’re going, what your altitude is — and all the different pieces of information are being calculated … It’s all computerized,” he said.
“Unfortunately, security is not always the primary thought when these (features) are developed.”
A global automotive cybersecurity report by Upstream shows remote attacks — which rely on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and connected networks — have consistently outnumbered physical attacks, accounting for 85 per cent of all breaches between 2010 and 2021.
That proportion grew to 97 per cent of all attacks in 2022, the report said.
There’s a growing concern about privacy breaches among connected cars, experts added.
“Let’s say someone is driving on the highway and the doors get locked, the car speeds up and the (driver) gets a message asking for bitcoin or they’ll crash the vehicle,” said AJ Khan, founder of Vehiqilla Inc., a Windsor, Ont.-based company offering cybersecurity services for fleet cars.
“That scenario is possible right now.”
Khan added any car that can connect to the internet, whether gas-powered or electric, could be at risk of hacking.
But electric vehicles are particularly vulnerable to cybersecurity thefts.
Researchers at Concordia University in Montreal found significant weaknesses in their 2022 study of public and private EV charging stations across Canada — all of them connect to the internet. The study showed breaches could affect drivers, power stations and the power grid they are connected to.
“The reason why there are a lot of vulnerabilities is because vendors and operators are rushing to deploy the infrastructure to meet the demand,” said Chadi Assi, information systems engineering professor and research chair at Concordia University.
“As a result, cybersecurity was an afterthought and it was not part of the design of the infrastructure,” he added.
Assi explained an EV owner usually connects with the charging station through an easily accessible mobile app. But many of these third-party apps had security holes, the Concordia study found.
In 2022, the number of automotive application programs-related attacks accounted for 12 per cent of total incidents, despite advanced cybersecurity, the Upstream report shows. The trend was up by 380 per cent compared with 2021.
One such vulnerability, Assi said, is that the protocol used for communication between the cloud management system — which processes payments, among other important functions — and the charging stations may not be encrypted.
“If you’re making payments (at a charging station), those and any private information you put can be transmitted in plain text,” he said, making sensitive information susceptible to theft.
If a charging station is compromised, Assi said, a customer’s private information could be leaked, such as the time and location of the vehicle. Hackers can also disrupt the charging process and damage the battery — the most expensive part of an electric vehicle.
Electric vehicle charging station-related breaches accounted for four per cent of cyberattacks on connected cars in 2022, the Upstream report said.
“Another critical aspect of cybersecurity in this ecosystem is the power utility itself,” Assi said.
If a hacker synchronizes multiple charging stations and turns the charging of cars on and off, the power grid could be destabilized, he explained.
Assi said these shortcomings were flagged to manufacturers last year.
An August 2021 global standard was established to guide automakers in managing cybersecurity, risks including electronic control units, software and various vulnerable points of attack such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Manufacturers are working to strengthen cybersecurity in vehicles, Khan said.
But even the cat-and-mouse race to outdo hackers fails when intruders manage to find one weak spot — which may allow them access to other connected vehicles.
“Auto cybersecurity is a very new field,” Khan said, adding the risk will persist with the ever-changing software potentially bringing newer vulnerabilities.
Still, the biggest challenge lies in the lack of awareness among consumers.
Khan said the auto industry is in a transitionary period.
Consumers will take time to adjust from “vehicles which never had connectivity or software to the (modern) vehicles with software that our lives have come to depend on,” he said.
Khan suggested consumers ask car dealerships about the vehicle software and privacy protection from third-party apps.
“When you go to purchase a vehicle, you ask about safety features such as seatbelts and airbags,” he said. “Similarly, ask about cybersecurity which is basically a health and safety issue.”
Another best practice is to be aware of the software used in the vehicle and how it would impact its security if a third-party app is downloaded. Experts suggested drivers should also update vehicle software regularly to avoid cybersecurity attacks.
When selling a vehicle or using a fleet car, customers should be careful when connecting their phones because they may leave behind their data remnants.
Other best practices include avoiding connecting to public Wi-Fi and to not keep car keys close to the front door since thieves can use devices that capture a key fob’s radio signal and extend the range to remotely start and steal vehicles.
Tim Burrows, producer of Canada Talks Electric Cars, has been driving electric vehicles for 10 years and says he never found himself thinking about cybersecurity until lately.
“Now that the software is actually ‘driving the car’, I find myself thinking more often about the potential for bad actors to hack into the network and damage or control the semi-autonomous operation of the vehicle,” he said.
While he is aware that risk exists, it is not something he is deeply concerned about, he said.
“I suspect it might become a higher value ‘target’ for those wishing to cause harm,” Burrows said. “Perhaps my attitude will change when autonomous vehicles go mainstream.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Ritika Dubey
Published Oct 08, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 5 minute read
Blasting the heat with a remote sensor before you even get into your vehicle on a brisk winter morning is a welcome convenience. So are the comforts of lane assistance, voice command, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
But experts warn modern, connected vehicles, which are heavily packed with microchips and sophisticated software, can offer an open door to hackers.
These cars are vulnerable to hackers stealing sensitive information or even manipulating systems such as steering wheels and brakes, said Robert Falzon, head of engineering for Markham, Ont.-based cybersecurity solutions company Checkpoint Canada.
“Cars are tracking how fast you’re going, where you’re going, what your altitude is — and all the different pieces of information are being calculated … It’s all computerized,” he said.
“Unfortunately, security is not always the primary thought when these (features) are developed.”
A global automotive cybersecurity report by Upstream shows remote attacks — which rely on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and connected networks — have consistently outnumbered physical attacks, accounting for 85 per cent of all breaches between 2010 and 2021.
That proportion grew to 97 per cent of all attacks in 2022, the report said.
There’s a growing concern about privacy breaches among connected cars, experts added.
“Let’s say someone is driving on the highway and the doors get locked, the car speeds up and the (driver) gets a message asking for bitcoin or they’ll crash the vehicle,” said AJ Khan, founder of Vehiqilla Inc., a Windsor, Ont.-based company offering cybersecurity services for fleet cars.
“That scenario is possible right now.”
Khan added any car that can connect to the internet, whether gas-powered or electric, could be at risk of hacking.
But electric vehicles are particularly vulnerable to cybersecurity thefts.
Researchers at Concordia University in Montreal found significant weaknesses in their 2022 study of public and private EV charging stations across Canada — all of them connect to the internet. The study showed breaches could affect drivers, power stations and the power grid they are connected to.
“The reason why there are a lot of vulnerabilities is because vendors and operators are rushing to deploy the infrastructure to meet the demand,” said Chadi Assi, information systems engineering professor and research chair at Concordia University.
“As a result, cybersecurity was an afterthought and it was not part of the design of the infrastructure,” he added.
Assi explained an EV owner usually connects with the charging station through an easily accessible mobile app. But many of these third-party apps had security holes, the Concordia study found.
In 2022, the number of automotive application programs-related attacks accounted for 12 per cent of total incidents, despite advanced cybersecurity, the Upstream report shows. The trend was up by 380 per cent compared with 2021.
One such vulnerability, Assi said, is that the protocol used for communication between the cloud management system — which processes payments, among other important functions — and the charging stations may not be encrypted.
“If you’re making payments (at a charging station), those and any private information you put can be transmitted in plain text,” he said, making sensitive information susceptible to theft.
If a charging station is compromised, Assi said, a customer’s private information could be leaked, such as the time and location of the vehicle. Hackers can also disrupt the charging process and damage the battery — the most expensive part of an electric vehicle.
Electric vehicle charging station-related breaches accounted for four per cent of cyberattacks on connected cars in 2022, the Upstream report said.
“Another critical aspect of cybersecurity in this ecosystem is the power utility itself,” Assi said.
If a hacker synchronizes multiple charging stations and turns the charging of cars on and off, the power grid could be destabilized, he explained.
Assi said these shortcomings were flagged to manufacturers last year.
An August 2021 global standard was established to guide automakers in managing cybersecurity, risks including electronic control units, software and various vulnerable points of attack such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Manufacturers are working to strengthen cybersecurity in vehicles, Khan said.
But even the cat-and-mouse race to outdo hackers fails when intruders manage to find one weak spot — which may allow them access to other connected vehicles.
“Auto cybersecurity is a very new field,” Khan said, adding the risk will persist with the ever-changing software potentially bringing newer vulnerabilities.
Still, the biggest challenge lies in the lack of awareness among consumers.
Khan said the auto industry is in a transitionary period.
Consumers will take time to adjust from “vehicles which never had connectivity or software to the (modern) vehicles with software that our lives have come to depend on,” he said.
Khan suggested consumers ask car dealerships about the vehicle software and privacy protection from third-party apps.
“When you go to purchase a vehicle, you ask about safety features such as seatbelts and airbags,” he said. “Similarly, ask about cybersecurity which is basically a health and safety issue.”
Another best practice is to be aware of the software used in the vehicle and how it would impact its security if a third-party app is downloaded. Experts suggested drivers should also update vehicle software regularly to avoid cybersecurity attacks.
When selling a vehicle or using a fleet car, customers should be careful when connecting their phones because they may leave behind their data remnants.
Other best practices include avoiding connecting to public Wi-Fi and to not keep car keys close to the front door since thieves can use devices that capture a key fob’s radio signal and extend the range to remotely start and steal vehicles.
Tim Burrows, producer of Canada Talks Electric Cars, has been driving electric vehicles for 10 years and says he never found himself thinking about cybersecurity until lately.
“Now that the software is actually ‘driving the car’, I find myself thinking more often about the potential for bad actors to hack into the network and damage or control the semi-autonomous operation of the vehicle,” he said.
While he is aware that risk exists, it is not something he is deeply concerned about, he said.
“I suspect it might become a higher value ‘target’ for those wishing to cause harm,” Burrows said. “Perhaps my attitude will change when autonomous vehicles go mainstream.”
Connected vehicles can be at risk of hacking, consumer awareness paramount: experts
Blasting the heat with a remote sensor before you even get into your vehicle on a brisk winter morning is a welcome convenience.