Science & Environment

[spaminator]

Hershey looking to remove lead, cadmium from chocolate: CFO
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Jessica Dinapoli
Published Mar 23, 2023 • 2 minute read

HERSHEY — Hershey Co is looking to reduce “trace” amounts of lead and cadmium in its chocolate, chief financial officer Steve Voskiul told Reuters on Wednesday, after Consumer Reports found that some dark chocolate bars had potentially harmful levels of the heavy metals.


Consumer Reports, a nonprofit consumer group, tested chocolate bars including those made by Hershey late last year and found that some of them contained possibly harmful levels of lead, cadmium or both for people who eat more than one ounce per day.


The trace amounts of the metals found in some chocolate are “below any recommended level, any standard,” Voskuil said, adding that lead and cadmium are elements in soil and can naturally occur in the product.

“Depending on where you source, you may get relatively more lead or cadium in West Africa versus South America, but in both cases it’s a naturally occurring ingredient,” Voskuil said.

“We would love to eradicate it completely and continue to look for opportunities in the process, is there more we can do there,” he said on the sidelines of the Reese’s makers’ investor day.


A company spokesperson said “given the natural occurrence of minerals, it’s difficult to completely eliminate them from agricultural ingredients.”

Consumer Reports found that Hershey’s Lily’s extremely dark chocolate 85% cocoa bar was high in lead and cadmium. Its Hershey’s Special Dark mildly sweet chocolate and Lily’s extra dark chocolate 70% were also high in lead according to the report.

Voskuil said the manufacturing and cleaning process for cocoa beans removes the “vast majority” of lead and cadmium.

Hershey is “evaluating” if it can remove more of the metals through additional cleaning of cocoa beans or alternate sourcing, he said.

“Despite the cleaning process we’re also always looking, are there other things we can do to reduce it even lower,” Voskuil said.

Hershey faces multiple lawsuits from consumers who claim the chocolate maker should have disclosed the levels of heavy metals, and that they would have paid less for or not bought the products had they known.

Lead and Cadmium Could Be in Your Dark Chocolate - Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports tested 28 dark chocolate bars and found cadmium and lead in all of them. Here's how to limit your heavy metal exposure.

consumerreports.org

Hershey looking to remove lead, cadmium from chocolate: CFO

Hershey Co is looking to reduce "trace" amounts of lead and cadmium in its chocolate, chief financial officer Steve Voskiul told Reuters.

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Aww! I LIKE my chocolate with heavy metals!

 

[spaminator]

What to know about the eyedrops linked to deaths and vision loss
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Kelsey Ables and Marlene Cimons, The Washington Post
Published Mar 23, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read

Two more people have died in the United States after being infected by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a drug-resistant bacterium that has been linked to eyedrops, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bringing the death count to three. The outbreak has also been connected to eight recent reports of vision loss and four reports of enucleation, or surgical removal of an eyeball.


The agency first warned of the outbreak, which has now infected at least at least 68 people in 16 states, in January. Shortly thereafter, EzriCare Artificial Tears, a preservative-free, over-the-counter product that many infected patients reported using, was recalled by its manufacturer.


Since then, several additional eye products have been taken off shelves, though not all are related to the bacterial infection. With millions of Americans turning to eyedrops everyday – the vast majority of them safely – news of the illness and recalls has sparked concern and confusion.

Here’s what you should know.

Which eyedrops have been recalled?
At least four eyedrops have been recalled recently. They include EzriCare and Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Tears, which have been associated with the bacterial infection.


Two other products – Pharmedica USA’s Purely Soothing, 15% MSM Drops and Apotex Corporation’s Brimonidine Tartrate Ophthalmic Solution, 0.15% – were also pulled by their makers, though they are not related to the outbreak.

Patients who suffered infections of Pseudomonas aeruginosa reported using more than 10 brands of artificial tears, but none as often as EzriCare, according to the CDC.

David Chen, an ophthalmologist at Singapore’s National University Hospital, said in an email that he does not believe people should worry about other brands which have not been recalled. He advises exercising “general precaution when using artificial tears,” such as avoiding contaminating them with fingers and disposing of them within the advised time frame.


Pharmedica USA in March recalled Purely Soothing, 15% MSM Drops out of concern that the product is not sterile. The drops have not been linked to illness, the company said, though it cautioned that using contaminated eye products can increase risk for infections that could result in blindness. Also in March, Apotex Corporation recalled Brimonidine Tartrate Ophthalmic Solution, 0.15% “out of an abundance of caution” due to cracks in some of the bottles’ caps, which could affect the product’s sterility, the company said.

Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Eye Ointment, which has not been linked directly to illness but was produced by Global Pharma Healthcare, the same manufacturer behind the Delsam Pharma’s artificial tears, has also been recalled.


What are the symptoms of eye infection to watch out for?
If you’ve used Ezricare and Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Tears, look out for symptoms including yellow, green or clear discharge from the eye; eye pain or discomfort; redness of the eye or eyelid; a sensation that there is something in your eye; increased sensitivity to light; and blurry vision, according to the CDC.

The CDC instructs those who are experiencing such symptoms and have used either of the two eyedrops to seek medical care immediately. People not experiencing symptoms do not need to test for possible infection, it says.

A severe eye infection can feel similar to less threatening conditions such as dry eye disease and other autoimmune or inflammatory diseases of the eyes, experts caution.


“If it is truly bacterial, a direct eye exam will determine it, since there are certain clinical features we can see that would suggest bacteria and the degree of infection,” Dave Patel, an ophthalmologist at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, told The Washington Post.

What is Pseudomonas aeruginosa?
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an aggressive bacterium that is found all over the environment, including in water, soil and human waste. It can enter eye drops through contamination with environmental agents during handling, experts say. The bacterium is resistant to most antibiotics and is particularly dangerous in health-care settings and for people with weakened immune systems.

Elizabeth Connick, professor of medicine and immunobiology at the University of Arizona, said that the bacterium “secretes proteins that can destroy the clear tissue at the front of the eye – the cornea – and allows it to invade the eye. It can impair vision or even blind someone.”


Pseudomonas aeruginosa tends to cause problems in places where “immune responses are blunted,” Robert T. Schooley, distinguished professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases and global public health at the University of California at San Diego, previously told The Post.

But when medical products such as eye drops become contaminated, “the concentration of bacteria – or viruses, or fungi – in the product can be extremely high and overwhelm local immune responses, even when people are not overtly immune compromised,” he said.

Infections can present in ways such as keratitis, sepsis and respiratory and urinary tract infections. In 2017, the United States saw about 2,700 deaths related to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 32,600 cases in hospitalized patients, according to CDC estimates. The eyedrop-related strain of Pseudomonasaeruginosa has not previously appeared in the United States, the CDC said.

What to know about the eyedrops linked to deaths and vision loss

EzriCare Artificial Tears, a preservative-free, over-the-counter eyedrop, was recalled by its manufacturer.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Radioactive water leaks at Minnesota nuclear plant for 2nd time
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Mar 23, 2023 • 2 minute read

MONTICELLO, Minn. — The company that owns a nuclear power plant northwest of Minneapolis said Thursday that water containing a radioactive material is leaking from the plant for a second time, but there is no danger to the public and the facility will power down Friday to begin working on permanent repairs.


The announcement by Xcel Energy comes about a week after Minnesota regulators announced that 400,000 gallons (1.5 million liters) of water containing tritium had leaked from the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant back in November.


The delay in making an announcement about the leak raised questions about public safety and transparency, but industry experts said there was never a public health threat.

The new leak, announced a day after Xcel Energy says it was discovered, was found to be coming from a temporary fix to the original leak, the company said in a statement. This time, the leak is anticipated to be in the hundreds of gallons.

“While the leak continues to pose no risk to the public or the environment, we determined the best course of action is to power down the plant and perform the permanent repairs immediately,” said Chris Clark, president of Xcel Energy–Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. “We are continuing to work with and inform our state, federal, city and county leaders in the process.”


After the first leak was found in November at the plant 38 miles (61 kilometers) from Minneapolis, Xcel Energy made a short-term fix to capture water from a leaking pipe and reroute it back into the plant for re-use. The solution was designed to prevent new tritium from reaching the groundwater until installation of a replacement pipe during a regularly scheduled outage in mid-April, the company said.

However, monitoring equipment indicated Wednesday that a small amount of new water from the original leak had reached the groundwater. Operators discovered that, over the past two days, the temporary solution was no longer capturing all of the leaking water, Xcel Energy said.

The leaked water remains contained on-site and has not been detected in any local drinking water, Xcel Energy said.


Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that occurs naturally in the environment and is a common by-product of nuclear plant operations. It emits a weak form of beta radiation that does not travel far and cannot penetrate human skin, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Health released a statement Thursday saying they were told of the new leak Thursday afternoon and that it is ongoing. The agencies said they will continue to monitor groundwater samples and will inform the public if there is an imminent risk.

Minnesota regulars said last week that Xcel Energy voluntarily notified state agencies and reported the leak of tritium to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission soon after it was confirmed in November. The amount of leaked material never reached a threshold requiring public notification and they waited to make a public announcement until they had more information, officials said.

Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety with the Union of Concerned Scientists, told The Associated Press last week that a significant health risk only would occur if people consumed fairly high amounts of tritium. That risk is contained if the plume stays on the company’s site, which Xcel Energy and Minnesota officials said is the case.

Radioactive water leaks at Minnesota nuclear plant for 2nd time

The company that owns a nuclear power plant northwest of Minneapolis said Thursday that water containing a radioactive material is leaking

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

New species of scary spider found in Australia
Author of the article:Liz Braun
Published Mar 24, 2023 • Last updated 22 hours ago • 1 minute read
A new species of Trapdoor Spider, named Euoplos dignitas, has been found in Australia.
A new species of Trapdoor Spider, named Euoplos dignitas, has been found in Australia. PHOTO BY QUEENSLAND MUSEUM /Twitter
As if the funnel-web spider, paralysis tick, stinging stonefish, inland taipan, Box jellyfish, saltwater croc or bull shark weren’t deadly enough, Australia proudly unveils a giant new species of trapdoor spider.

Said spiders can live for 20 years and are not considered dangerous to humans, except if you have a heart attack from fear after seeing one.


These rare spiders have been named Euoplos dignitas, according to People Magazine, in a nod to their greatness; the body of the female can be as much as two inches long, and that’s before you add those eight long legs.

The female is a reddish-brown colour; the male has a honey-red body and legs.

The new species was found near the small farming towns of Monto and Eidsvold by researchers involved in Queensland Museum’s Project DIG.

The spiders are threatened by agricultural land clearing, which is destructive to their burrows and habitat.



The habitat loss is serious enough that Euoplos dignitas could become critically endangered.

Trapdoor spiders burrow under debris and earth and create a trapdoor to their lair with silk and soil. They pop out of hiding through the trapdoor to surprise small insects and other prey.

Despite being home to three of the world’s deadliest spiders, Australia has not lost anyone to spider bite since 1979 — thanks to the development of powerful antivenoms.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1636834851809525761

'Big, Beautiful Species' of Giant Trapdoor Spider Discovered

A new species of giant trapdoor spider has been discovered by scientists in the Australian state of Queensland.

people.com

New species of scary spider found in Australia

As if the stinging stonefish, saltwater croc or bull shark weren’t deadly enough, Australia has unveiled a new species of Trapdoor spider.

torontosun.com

 

[Taxslave2]

One more reason to not go to Australia.

 

[petros]

One more reason to not go to Australia.

They might be tasty.

 

[spaminator]

Did Tyrannosaurus rex have lips? New research says dinosaur probably did
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Maddie Burakoff
Published Mar 30, 2023 • 2 minute read

NEW YORK — The Tyrannosaurus rex is often shown baring massive, sharp teeth, like the ferocious creature in “Jurassic Park.”


But new research suggests that this classic image might be wrong.


The teeth on T. rex and other big theropods were likely covered by scaly lips, concludes a study published Thursday in the journal Science. The dinosaur’s teeth didn’t stick out when its mouth was closed, and even in a wide open bite, you might just see the tips, the scientists found.

The research is the latest in a long back-and-forth over how dinosaur mouths really looked.

Recent depictions show big teeth jutting out of the dinosaurs’ jaws, even when closed. Some thought the predators’ teeth were just too big to fit in their mouths, said study author Thomas Cullen, a paleontologist at Auburn University in Alabama.

When researchers compared skulls from dinosaurs and living reptiles, though, they found this wasn’t the case. Some large monitor lizards actually have bigger teeth than T. rex compared to their skull size, and can still fit them under a set of scaly lips, Cullen said.


The scientists also found clues in the pattern of wear and tear on tooth surfaces.

For a creature like a crocodile, whose teeth stick out of its mouth, the exposed part gets worn down quickly — “like someone’s taken a sander to the side of the tooth,” said another study author Mark Witton, a paleoartist at England’s University of Portsmouth.

But when researchers analyzed a tooth from a Daspletosaurus, a T. rex relative, they found it was in good condition and it didn’t show that uneven damage pattern.

With this evidence and other clues from the dinosaurs’ anatomy, the study makes a good case for lipped tyrannosaurs, said University of Maryland paleontologist Thomas Holtz, who was not involved with the study. Still, “we’re not talking kissy lips,” he pointed out — they’d be thin and scaly like those of the Komodo dragon, a large lizard.

It’s not the first time our depictions of dinosaurs have been called into question: Other research has shown that T. rex was more hunched over than we used to think, and that fierce velociraptors probably sported feathers. Most of what we know about dinosaurs comes from their bones, but it can be harder to get clear answers about soft tissues like skin, which usually aren’t preserved as fossils.

Adding lips may make dinosaurs look a little less ferocious, but it also makes them feel more realistic, Witton said.

“You don’t really see a monster,” he said. “You see an animal.”

Did Tyrannosaurus rex have lips? New research says dinosaur probably did

The Tyrannosaurus rex is often shown baring massive, sharp teeth, like the ferocious creature in "Jurassic Park."

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Mexican experts say mummy exhibit may pose health risks
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Mar 30, 2023 • 1 minute read

MEXICO CITY — Mexican government experts said Thursday they are concerned that a travelling display of mummies from the 1800s may pose a health risk to the public.


The preserved corpses were unintentionally mummified when they were buried in crypts in dry, mineral-rich soil in the state of Guanajuato. Some still have hair, leathery skin and their original clothing.


But the National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a statement that one of the mummies also appears to have fungal growths.

The federal institute distanced itself from a state government decision to display a half dozen of the mummies in glass cases at a tourism fair in Mexico City. It was unclear whether the cases were air-tight, and the institute said it had not been consulted about the display.

“It is even more worrisome that they are still being exhibited without the safeguards for the public against biohazards,” said the institute.


“From some of the published photos, at least one of the corpses on display, which was inspected by the institute in November 2021, shows signs of a proliferation of possible fungus colonies,” the institute wrote.

“This should all be carefully studied to see if these are signs of a risk for the cultural legacy, as well as for those who handle them and come to see them.”

The mummies are usually on display in the Guanajuato state capital. But they have travelled before, and some were exhibited in the United States in 2009.

They were naturally preserved, some say because of the climate, mineral-rich environment, other because of the sealed crypts, though no one knows for sure. They were dug up starting in the 1860s, because their families could no longer pay burial fees, and put on display.

Mexican experts say mummy exhibit may pose health risks

Mexican experts said Thursday they are concerned that a travelling display of mummies from the 1800s may pose a health risk to the public.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

First case of avian flu in dog discovered in Oshawa
Low risk for humans: Agencies

Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Apr 04, 2023 • 1 minute read

The first case of avian influenza in a dog in Canada has been identified in Oshawa, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada.


In a joint statement, both agencies said the dog tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on April 1 after chewing on a wild goose and died after developing clinical signs.


The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease confirmed the case.

The necropsy was completed on April 3 and showed respiratory system involvement and further testing is underway.

The agencies say the number of documented cases of avian influenza H5N1 in non-avian species, such as cats and dogs is low, even though this virus has caused large avian outbreaks globally over the last few years.

They say based on the current evidence in Canada, the risk to the general public remains low and the risk of a human contracting avian influenza from a domestic pet is minor.

The agencies say no domestically acquired human cases of avian influenza have been reported in Canada with such cases rare and almost always acquired through direct contact with infected birds or exposure to heavily contaminated environments.

To date, there has been no evidence of sustained person-to-person spread.

Still, pet owners are encouraged to not feed pets (e.g., dogs or cats) any raw meat from game birds or poultry, not allow pets to consume or play with dead wild birds found outside, and to contact their veterinarian if they have questions about their pet’s health.

First case of avian flu in dog discovered in Oshawa

The first case of avian influenza in a dog in Canada has been identified in Oshawa.

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

I assume it's a bird dog?

 

[spaminator]

Johnson & Johnson offers $8.9 billion to settle talc baby powder claims
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Bryan Pietsch, The Washington Post
Published Apr 05, 2023 • 3 minute read

Johnson & Johnson said it has offered to pay $8.9 billion to settle tens of thousands of claims that its talc-based baby powder caused cancer, relying on a controversial bankruptcy maneuver in an effort to put an end to decades of litigation that has tainted the company’s image.


The proposed settlement would be paid to claimants over the course of 25 years via a subsidiary, the company said in a statement Tuesday. The subsidiary, LTL Management, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in New Jersey on Tuesday, according to court records.


Johnson & Johnson said that the settlement and bankruptcy filing did not mean it “has changed its longstanding position that its talcum powder products are safe.” The company has long denied claims that its products containing talc – a mineral used to absorb moisture – cause cancer.

The company said the settlement is intended to “resolve all the current and future talc claims.” But for the settlement to come to fruition, the bankruptcy filing must be approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.


Tuesday’s bankruptcy filing is the second time Johnson & Johnson has tried to use LTL Management as a vehicle for settling the claims. The first filing was struck down in January by a federal appeals court, which ruled that LTL Management was not in financial distress.

Efforts to “protect the J&J brand or comprehensively resolve litigation” were not sufficient reasons to file for bankruptcy, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit wrote in its opinion. “Only a putative debtor in financial distress can do so. LTL was not.” The maneuver was part of what’s known as a “Texas two-step,” in which a subsidiary – which often files for bankruptcy immediately after being created – is used to shield a parent company from litigation.


John Kim, the subsidiary’s chief legal officer, said in the statement issued by Johnson & Johnson that LTL Management’s goal “has always been to resolve these claims quickly, efficiently and fairly,” and that the most recent bankruptcy filing addressed the appeals court’s concerns and demonstrated it was declaring bankruptcy “in good faith.”

Johnson & Johnson said the settlement has been approved by more than 60,000 claimants. But it must also be approved by others, some of whom were not in favour of the agreement and the company’s legal maneuver.

Leigh O’Dell, an attorney for some of the claimants, said Johnson & Johnson was “seeking an extremely deep discount on justice,” adding that the bankruptcy filing would lead to delays in a resolution for her clients.


“This new filing should be viewed as a shameful attempt to run out the clock on people dying of cancer and convince some lawyers to give up,” she said in an emailed statement, calling the settlement “a non-starter.”

According to the Food and Drug Administration, research has shown “a possible association between the use of powders containing talc in the genital area and the incidence of ovarian cancer,” but studies have not “conclusively demonstrated such a link.” The FDA says there is a “potential for contamination of talc with asbestos,” but Johnson & Johnson has said its products do not contain asbestos, a known carcinogen.

An investigation by Reuters, however, found that the company had long been aware that some of its products had tested positive for small amounts of asbestos. Executives had for years “fretted over the problem and how to address it while failing to disclose it to regulators or the public,” Reuters reported.

The company said in 2018 in response to the investigation that the attorneys representing claimants were “out for personal financial gain” and “distorting historical documents,” and that “any suggestion that Johnson & Johnson knew or hid information about the safety of talc is false.”

Johnson & Johnson said last year it would stop selling its talc-based baby powder internationally after it ceased sales of the product in the United States and Canada because of declining demand.

Johnson & Johnson offers $8.9 billion to settle talc baby powder claims

Johnson &ampamp; Johnson said it has offered to pay $8.9 billion to settle tens of thousands of claims that its baby powder caused cancer.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

30,000-year-old mummified ground squirrel found in Yukon
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Apr 05, 2023 • 2 minute read
A person holds a mummified Arctic ground squirrel uncovered near Dawson City, Yukon, in an undated handout photo. The 30,000-year-old animal is set to go on display this May at Whitehorse's Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre.
A person holds a mummified Arctic ground squirrel uncovered near Dawson City, Yukon, in an undated handout photo. The 30,000-year-old animal is set to go on display this May at Whitehorse's Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre. PHOTO BY HO /The Canadian Press
WHITEHORSE — The ancient remains of a ground squirrel dug up by miners near Dawson City, Yukon, still has lessons to teach 30,000 years after it died, an expert says.


At first glance, the small, brown discovery looks more like a wrinkly leather ball than a rare archeological find, though a more careful look reveals hair, tiny ears and claws.


It was only with X-rays taken at a Whitehorse veterinarian’s office that the discovery of a complete mummified animal was confirmed, said Yukon paleontologist Grant Zazula.

“Arctic ground squirrels are tiny of course, it’s curled up in a ball, so just by looking at it it’s hard to tell what it is,” he said.

“But then, when you see the X-ray, you can see this curled-up skeleton, and the head, and the leg bones, and whatnot, and the tail, all curled up together and it looks amazing under the X-ray.”

The remains, believed to be an animal that died while hibernating, were found several years ago by miners at Hester Creek near Dawson City. The palm-size discovery will be unveiled to the public next month at the reopening of the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre in Whitehorse following renovations.


Zazula said he first became fascinated with ancient Arctic ground squirrels while examining their nests, hundreds of which have been found preserved in northern permafrost.

Looking at the construction of those nests, which resemble small balls of hay, paleontologists have been able to identify the ice age plants, leaves and seeds living in Beringia — the land mass that once connected North America to Russia.

While nests are more common, the Hester Creek find is one of only a handful of mummified squirrels to be uncovered, Zazula said.

Examples exist in the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa and at the American Museum of Natural History. Others were found in the 1940s by prisoners working in the gulags, or Soviet labour camps, in Siberia.


Mummified remains provide a clearer picture than fossils of bones of what an ancient animal looked like when it was alive, Zazula said.

“The real value of them is really educational, because they really bring forward this ancient ice-age world,” he said.

“Looking at bones is one thing, it’s neat to look at bones, but seeing the mummified version of those animals from the past, just brings it to life.”

Zazula, who completed his PhD on the squirrels, said the animals are especially interesting to study because they survived for millions of years through the ice age and can provide information about howmodern ground squirrels that live in Yukon now may be affected by climate change.

“Many of the ice age animals went extinct or just don’t live in the Yukon anymore. So, Yukon Arctic ground squirrels are this amazing story of survival through change,” he said.

“They’ve been around for a couple of million years, they’ve adapted to all these permanent, really pronounced changes and climates and environment, and they’re still with us today.”

'AMAZING STORY OF SURVIVAL': 30,000-year-old mummified ground squirrel found in Yukon

WHITEHORSE — The ancient remains of a ground squirrel dug up by miners near Dawson City, Yukon, still has lessons to teach 30,000 years after it died, an…

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Small ears, frizzy hair and dry ear wax - the genetics of mammoths
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Will Dunham
Published Apr 07, 2023 • 3 minute read

thWASHINGTON — The largest-ever genetic assessment of the wooly mammoth has yielded new insight into this elephant cousin – an icon of the Ice Age – including about its fluffy hair, small ears, cold tolerance, fat storage and even dry ear wax.


Researchers on Friday said they had analyzed the genomes of 23 wooly mammoths – including 16 newly sequenced ones – based on remains preserved in Siberian permafrost. They then compared them to the genomes of 28 modern-day Asian and African elephants.


“The objective was to find those mutations that are present in all mammoths but not in any of the elephants – that is, the genetic adaptations exclusive to the wooly mammoth,” said evolutionary geneticist David Díez-del-Molino of the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Stockholm, lead author of the study published in the journal Current Biology.

“We find that wooly mammoths had molecular adaptations in genes related to coping with cold Arctic environments, such as thick fur, fat storage and metabolism, and thermal sensation, among others,” Díez-del-Molino added.


The genomes included a mammoth from 700,000 years ago – near the origination time of this species on the Siberian steppes – and others that lived later in their history, thus showing how genetic adaptations evolved.



The species, which arose at a time when Earth’s climate was cooling, inhabited parts of northern Eurasia and North America. Most mammoths went extinct roughly 10,000 years ago amid a warming climate at the last Ice Age’s end, with scientists debating whether human hunting played a role. The last ones died out on Wrangel Island off Siberia’s coast 4,000 years ago.


The first complete mammoth genome was sequenced in 2015, after a partial genome in 2008.

The new study showed that 92% of unique mutations already existed at the outset of the species, with continued evolution on certain traits. For example, mammoths evolved ever-fluffier fur and ever-smaller ears over time.

“Our 700,000-year-old wooly mammoth may have had larger ears than the mammoths of the last Ice Age,” Centre for Palaeogenetics evolutionary geneticist and study senior author Love Dalén said.

One highly evolved gene was one that when “turned off” in laboratory mice results in unusually small ears. Wooly mammoths were about the size of modern African elephants, around 13 feet (4 metres) tall, but had much smaller ears to guard against losing body heat from a larger ear surface.


Several genes involving fur type and growth differed from modern elephants. One of them in humans is associated with Uncombable Hair Syndrome, a condition characterized by dry and frizzy hair that cannot be combed flat. In mammoths, fluffier hair, as well as fat deposits, would have helped provide insulation in the cold.

The mammoths had a mutation in a gene that in people is associated with having dry ear wax, though it is unclear how this gave them any advantage. The same mutation is associated with reduced body odor in the armpits in humans, though this may not mean mammoths had a dainty aroma.

“I very much doubt mammoths would have been sweating into their arm pits. This is a very unique human thing, I think. Other mammals regulate their body temperature in other ways. So it is very unclear if mammoths would have smelled differently because of this gene variant,” Dalén said.

The study helped clarify variable shades of mammoth hair colour – brownish with a touch of red. Mutations in an immune system-related gene indicated the species adapted to a serious pathogen outbreak at some point.

While the researchers are not involved in trying to resurrect the mammoth through cloning, their work could assist any such effort.

“The dataset we present could be seen as the first element of a road map towards resurrection,” Dalén said. “But it should be pointed out that the road ahead is long, likely to be full of pot holes, and in the worst-case scenario leads nowhere.”

Small ears, frizzy hair and dry ear wax - the genetics of mammoths

The largest-ever genetic assessment of the wooly mammoth has yielded new insight into this elephant cousin - an icon of the Ice Age.

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Small ears, frizzy hair and dry ear wax - the genetics of mammoths

I think I dated her once.

 

[Taxslave2]

Radioactive water leaks at Minnesota nuclear plant for 2nd time
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Mar 23, 2023 • 2 minute read

MONTICELLO, Minn. — The company that owns a nuclear power plant northwest of Minneapolis said Thursday that water containing a radioactive material is leaking from the plant for a second time, but there is no danger to the public and the facility will power down Friday to begin working on permanent repairs.


The announcement by Xcel Energy comes about a week after Minnesota regulators announced that 400,000 gallons (1.5 million liters) of water containing tritium had leaked from the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant back in November.


The delay in making an announcement about the leak raised questions about public safety and transparency, but industry experts said there was never a public health threat.

The new leak, announced a day after Xcel Energy says it was discovered, was found to be coming from a temporary fix to the original leak, the company said in a statement. This time, the leak is anticipated to be in the hundreds of gallons.

“While the leak continues to pose no risk to the public or the environment, we determined the best course of action is to power down the plant and perform the permanent repairs immediately,” said Chris Clark, president of Xcel Energy–Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. “We are continuing to work with and inform our state, federal, city and county leaders in the process.”


After the first leak was found in November at the plant 38 miles (61 kilometers) from Minneapolis, Xcel Energy made a short-term fix to capture water from a leaking pipe and reroute it back into the plant for re-use. The solution was designed to prevent new tritium from reaching the groundwater until installation of a replacement pipe during a regularly scheduled outage in mid-April, the company said.

However, monitoring equipment indicated Wednesday that a small amount of new water from the original leak had reached the groundwater. Operators discovered that, over the past two days, the temporary solution was no longer capturing all of the leaking water, Xcel Energy said.

The leaked water remains contained on-site and has not been detected in any local drinking water, Xcel Energy said.


Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that occurs naturally in the environment and is a common by-product of nuclear plant operations. It emits a weak form of beta radiation that does not travel far and cannot penetrate human skin, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Health released a statement Thursday saying they were told of the new leak Thursday afternoon and that it is ongoing. The agencies said they will continue to monitor groundwater samples and will inform the public if there is an imminent risk.

Minnesota regulars said last week that Xcel Energy voluntarily notified state agencies and reported the leak of tritium to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission soon after it was confirmed in November. The amount of leaked material never reached a threshold requiring public notification and they waited to make a public announcement until they had more information, officials said.

Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety with the Union of Concerned Scientists, told The Associated Press last week that a significant health risk only would occur if people consumed fairly high amounts of tritium. That risk is contained if the plume stays on the company’s site, which Xcel Energy and Minnesota officials said is the case.

Radioactive water leaks at Minnesota nuclear plant for 2nd time

The company that owns a nuclear power plant northwest of Minneapolis said Thursday that water containing a radioactive material is leaking

torontosun.com

And this is why nuke plants need to be banned.

 

[petros]

And this is why nuke plants need to be banned.

Why? Tritium is bupkiss. It's more dangerous to be outdoors during a solar storm.

 

[Dixie Cup]

Why? Tritium is bupkiss. It's more dangerous to be outdoors during a solar storm.

Actually, nuke plants are quite safe & we need to increase their use. They now have smaller ones that are portable so hopefully, we'll be increasing the use of those because if we get rid of O&G we won't have enough power to operate the economy. Fortunately, Alberta, Saskatchewan & one of the Eastern provinces (Nova Scotia???) are seriously looking into these smaller nuclear plants that will be a great investment for the future.

 

[petros]

In SK, SMRs will be used in the North. In the South, geothermal. https://deepcorp.ca/

Luckily Sask has insane amounts of salt. It can be used to store energy as heat

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Bill Gates is building a nuclear power plant in western Wyoming.

The cognitive dissonance breakdowns among the Right make it worth every penny.