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Scientists find 74-million-year-old tiny mammal fossil in Chile
It is the smallest mammal ever found in this region of South America
Author of the article:AFP
AFP
Published Aug 12, 2025 • 1 minute read
This illustration by Mauricio Alvarez depicts 'Yeutherium pressor,' a tiny mammal that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in what is now southern Chile.
This illustration by Mauricio Alvarez depicts 'Yeutherium pressor,' a tiny mammal that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in what is now southern Chile. Photo by - /Universidad de Chile/AFP
SANTIAGO — Scientists have discovered the fossil of a tiny mouse-sized mammal that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in Chilean Patagonia.
“Yeutherium pressor” weighed between 30 and 40 grams (about one ounce) and lived in the Upper Cretaceous period, about 74 million years ago.
It is the smallest mammal ever found in this region of South America, dating back to the era when it was part of a continental land mass known as Gondwana.
The fossil consists of “a small piece of jaw with a molar and the crown and roots of two other molars,” said Hans Puschel, who led the team of scientists from the University of Chile and Chile’s Millennium Nucleus research center on early mammals.
The discovery was published this month in the British scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The fossil was discovered in the Rio de Las Chinas Valley in the Magallanes region of ChileHans Püschel/Universidad de Chile/AFP
Researchers found the fossil in the Rio de las Las Chinas Valley in Chile’s Magallanes region, about 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) south of Santiago.
Despites its similarity to a small rodent, “Yeutherium pressor” was a mammal that must have laid eggs, like the platypus, or carried its young in a pouch like kangaroos or opossums.
The shape of its teeth suggests that it probably had a diet of relatively hard vegetables.
Just like the dinosaurs with whom it co-existed, the tiny mammal abruptly went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago.
torontosun.com
It is the smallest mammal ever found in this region of South America
Author of the article:AFP
AFP
Published Aug 12, 2025 • 1 minute read
This illustration by Mauricio Alvarez depicts 'Yeutherium pressor,' a tiny mammal that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in what is now southern Chile.
This illustration by Mauricio Alvarez depicts 'Yeutherium pressor,' a tiny mammal that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in what is now southern Chile. Photo by - /Universidad de Chile/AFP
SANTIAGO — Scientists have discovered the fossil of a tiny mouse-sized mammal that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in Chilean Patagonia.
“Yeutherium pressor” weighed between 30 and 40 grams (about one ounce) and lived in the Upper Cretaceous period, about 74 million years ago.
It is the smallest mammal ever found in this region of South America, dating back to the era when it was part of a continental land mass known as Gondwana.
The fossil consists of “a small piece of jaw with a molar and the crown and roots of two other molars,” said Hans Puschel, who led the team of scientists from the University of Chile and Chile’s Millennium Nucleus research center on early mammals.
The discovery was published this month in the British scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The fossil was discovered in the Rio de Las Chinas Valley in the Magallanes region of ChileHans Püschel/Universidad de Chile/AFP
Researchers found the fossil in the Rio de las Las Chinas Valley in Chile’s Magallanes region, about 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) south of Santiago.
Despites its similarity to a small rodent, “Yeutherium pressor” was a mammal that must have laid eggs, like the platypus, or carried its young in a pouch like kangaroos or opossums.
The shape of its teeth suggests that it probably had a diet of relatively hard vegetables.
Just like the dinosaurs with whom it co-existed, the tiny mammal abruptly went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago.
Scientists find 74-million-year-old tiny mammal fossil in Chile
Scientists have discovered the fossil of a tiny mouse-sized mammal that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in Chilean Patagonia.
Woman discovers 2.3-carat ‘diamond-y diamond’ in Arkansas park
Author of the article
enette Wilford
Published Aug 12, 2025 • Last updated 13 hours ago • 2 minute read
Micherre Fox, who spent three weeks hunting for the perfect diamond to use for her own engagement ring at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.
Micherre Fox, who spent three weeks hunting for the perfect diamond to use for her own engagement ring at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. Photo by Supplied /Arkansas State Parks
A determined woman on the hunt for diamonds at an Arkansas state park hit the jackpot on her last day there.
Micherre Fox, 31, spent weeks at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Pike County last month, with the aim of finding the perfect rock for her future engagement ring, Arkansas State Parks (ASP) said in a press release.
While Fox wasn’t engaged at the time, her partner agreed to hold off proposing, knowing she wanted to uncover her own diamond — something she began researching about two years ago, according to ASP.
Fox prepared for two weeks before beginning her hunt on July 8 during a month-long break after finishing graduate school.
“I was willing to go anywhere in the world to make that happen,” Fox said.
“I researched, and it turned out that the only place in the world to do it was right in our backyard, in Arkansas!”
Crater of Diamonds is one of the only diamond-producing sites in the world where the public can search for diamonds in their original volcanic source, the website notes.
Their policy is as straightforward as it gets: “‘Finders, keepers,’ meaning the diamonds you find are yours to keep.”
Diamond sitting in Fox’s hand, left, and closeup of diamond. (Supplied/Arkansas State Parks)
Diamond sitting in Fox’s hand, left, and closeup of diamond. (Supplied/Arkansas State Parks) Photo by Supplied /Arkansas State Parks
Fox explained about her decision: “There’s something symbolic about being able to solve problems with money, but sometimes money runs out in a marriage. You need to be willing and able to solve those problems with hard work.”
Fox spent a total of three weeks at the park but it was on July 29, her last day there, that she encountered something shiny at her feet while walking along the West Drain, part of the 37.5-acre diamond search area.
The woman nudged it with her boot, thinking it was a spider web, but the shine remained — so she picked it up.
“Having never seen an actual diamond in my hands, I didn’t know for sure, but it was the most ‘diamond-y diamond’ I had seen,” she recalled.
The park’s Diamond Discover Center confirmed it was a white diamond about the size of a human canine tooth.
“I got on my knees and cried, then started laughing,” Fox said, noting that she got to name the gem, calling it the Fox-Ballou Diamond after her and her partner’s surnames.
“After all the research, there’s luck and there’s hard work,” she said.
“When you are literally picking up the dirt in your hands, no amount of research can do that for you; no amount of education can take you all the way,” Fox added. “It was daunting.”
So far this year, 366 diamonds have been registered at Crater of Diamonds, with 11 weighing more than one carat, according to the park.
The 2.3-carat stone Fox found marks the third-largest found in the park this year.
![diamond-x-2-e1755027573156[1].jpg](https://forums.canadiancontent.net/data/attachments/28/28810-efa32b3c999ae7c634d50baea686ba01.jpg "diamond-x-2-e1755027573156[1].jpg")
arkansasstateparks.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article
enette WilfordPublished Aug 12, 2025 • Last updated 13 hours ago • 2 minute read
Micherre Fox, who spent three weeks hunting for the perfect diamond to use for her own engagement ring at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.
Micherre Fox, who spent three weeks hunting for the perfect diamond to use for her own engagement ring at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. Photo by Supplied /Arkansas State Parks
A determined woman on the hunt for diamonds at an Arkansas state park hit the jackpot on her last day there.
Micherre Fox, 31, spent weeks at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Pike County last month, with the aim of finding the perfect rock for her future engagement ring, Arkansas State Parks (ASP) said in a press release.
While Fox wasn’t engaged at the time, her partner agreed to hold off proposing, knowing she wanted to uncover her own diamond — something she began researching about two years ago, according to ASP.
Fox prepared for two weeks before beginning her hunt on July 8 during a month-long break after finishing graduate school.
“I was willing to go anywhere in the world to make that happen,” Fox said.
“I researched, and it turned out that the only place in the world to do it was right in our backyard, in Arkansas!”
Crater of Diamonds is one of the only diamond-producing sites in the world where the public can search for diamonds in their original volcanic source, the website notes.
Their policy is as straightforward as it gets: “‘Finders, keepers,’ meaning the diamonds you find are yours to keep.”
Diamond sitting in Fox’s hand, left, and closeup of diamond. (Supplied/Arkansas State Parks)
Diamond sitting in Fox’s hand, left, and closeup of diamond. (Supplied/Arkansas State Parks) Photo by Supplied /Arkansas State Parks
Fox explained about her decision: “There’s something symbolic about being able to solve problems with money, but sometimes money runs out in a marriage. You need to be willing and able to solve those problems with hard work.”
Fox spent a total of three weeks at the park but it was on July 29, her last day there, that she encountered something shiny at her feet while walking along the West Drain, part of the 37.5-acre diamond search area.
The woman nudged it with her boot, thinking it was a spider web, but the shine remained — so she picked it up.
“Having never seen an actual diamond in my hands, I didn’t know for sure, but it was the most ‘diamond-y diamond’ I had seen,” she recalled.
The park’s Diamond Discover Center confirmed it was a white diamond about the size of a human canine tooth.
“I got on my knees and cried, then started laughing,” Fox said, noting that she got to name the gem, calling it the Fox-Ballou Diamond after her and her partner’s surnames.
“After all the research, there’s luck and there’s hard work,” she said.
“When you are literally picking up the dirt in your hands, no amount of research can do that for you; no amount of education can take you all the way,” Fox added. “It was daunting.”
So far this year, 366 diamonds have been registered at Crater of Diamonds, with 11 weighing more than one carat, according to the park.
The 2.3-carat stone Fox found marks the third-largest found in the park this year.
Digging for Diamonds | Arkansas State Parks
Where can diamonds be found? The answer might surprise you. Arkansas’s Crater of Diamonds State Park is one of the only diamond-producing site in the world where the public can search for diamonds in their original volcanic source. The policy here is "finders, keepers," meaning the diamonds you...
‘FINDERS, KEEPERS’: Woman discovers 2.3-carat ‘diamond-y diamond’ in Arkansas park
A determined woman on the hunt for diamonds at an Arkansas state park hit the jackpot on her last day there.
Nice little story but the lab made units for sale now and dirt cheap and much better looking.Woman discovers 2.3-carat ‘diamond-y diamond’ in Arkansas park
Author of the article
Published Aug 12, 2025 • Last updated 13 hours ago • 2 minute read
Micherre Fox, who spent three weeks hunting for the perfect diamond to use for her own engagement ring at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.
Micherre Fox, who spent three weeks hunting for the perfect diamond to use for her own engagement ring at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. Photo by Supplied /Arkansas State Parks
A determined woman on the hunt for diamonds at an Arkansas state park hit the jackpot on her last day there.
Micherre Fox, 31, spent weeks at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Pike County last month, with the aim of finding the perfect rock for her future engagement ring, Arkansas State Parks (ASP) said in a press release.
While Fox wasn’t engaged at the time, her partner agreed to hold off proposing, knowing she wanted to uncover her own diamond — something she began researching about two years ago, according to ASP.
Fox prepared for two weeks before beginning her hunt on July 8 during a month-long break after finishing graduate school.
“I was willing to go anywhere in the world to make that happen,” Fox said.
“I researched, and it turned out that the only place in the world to do it was right in our backyard, in Arkansas!”
Crater of Diamonds is one of the only diamond-producing sites in the world where the public can search for diamonds in their original volcanic source, the website notes.
Their policy is as straightforward as it gets: “‘Finders, keepers,’ meaning the diamonds you find are yours to keep.”
Diamond sitting in Fox’s hand, left, and closeup of diamond. (Supplied/Arkansas State Parks)
Diamond sitting in Fox’s hand, left, and closeup of diamond. (Supplied/Arkansas State Parks) Photo by Supplied /Arkansas State Parks
Fox explained about her decision: “There’s something symbolic about being able to solve problems with money, but sometimes money runs out in a marriage. You need to be willing and able to solve those problems with hard work.”
Fox spent a total of three weeks at the park but it was on July 29, her last day there, that she encountered something shiny at her feet while walking along the West Drain, part of the 37.5-acre diamond search area.
The woman nudged it with her boot, thinking it was a spider web, but the shine remained — so she picked it up.
“Having never seen an actual diamond in my hands, I didn’t know for sure, but it was the most ‘diamond-y diamond’ I had seen,” she recalled.
The park’s Diamond Discover Center confirmed it was a white diamond about the size of a human canine tooth.
“I got on my knees and cried, then started laughing,” Fox said, noting that she got to name the gem, calling it the Fox-Ballou Diamond after her and her partner’s surnames.
“After all the research, there’s luck and there’s hard work,” she said.
“When you are literally picking up the dirt in your hands, no amount of research can do that for you; no amount of education can take you all the way,” Fox added. “It was daunting.”
So far this year, 366 diamonds have been registered at Crater of Diamonds, with 11 weighing more than one carat, according to the park.
The 2.3-carat stone Fox found marks the third-largest found in the park this year.
View attachment 30547View attachment 30548
Digging for Diamonds | Arkansas State Parks
Where can diamonds be found? The answer might surprise you. Arkansas’s Crater of Diamonds State Park is one of the only diamond-producing site in the world where the public can search for diamonds in their original volcanic source. The policy here is "finders, keepers," meaning the diamonds you...‘FINDERS, KEEPERS’: Woman discovers 2.3-carat ‘diamond-y diamond’ in Arkansas park
A determined woman on the hunt for diamonds at an Arkansas state park hit the jackpot on her last day there.
![CP174865540-e1755122113348[1].jpg](https://forums.canadiancontent.net/data/attachments/28/28834-caf27ef35115fe8b803ec9e57873fb3d.jpg "CP174865540-e1755122113348[1].jpg")
perhaps it should be mandatory to shave animals during the summer?
Scientists unearth 'cute' but fearsome ancient whale
'It's essentially a little whale with big eyes and a mouth full of sharp, slicing teeth'
Author of the article:AFP
AFP
Published Aug 13, 2025 • 1 minute read
Museums Victoria Researcher Ruairidh Duncan (L) and Palaeontologist Erich Fitzgerald with the partial fossil skull and teeth of Janjucetus dullardi in Melbourne.
Museums Victoria Researcher Ruairidh Duncan (L) and Palaeontologist Erich Fitzgerald with the partial fossil skull and teeth of Janjucetus dullardi in Melbourne. Photo by Tom BREAKWELL /MUSEUMS VICTORIA/AFP
Sydney — Australian scientists have discovered a razor-toothed whale that prowled the seas 26 million years ago, saying Wednesday the species was “deceptively cute” but a fearsome predator.
Museums Victoria pieced together the species from an unusually well-preserved skull fossil found on Victoria’s Surf Coast in 2019.
Scientists discovered a “fast, sharp-toothed predator” that would have been about the size of a dolphin.
“It’s essentially a little whale with big eyes and a mouth full of sharp, slicing teeth,” said researcher Ruairidh Duncan.
“Imagine the shark-like version of a baleen whale — small and deceptively cute, but definitely not harmless.”
The partial fossil skull and teeth of Janjucetus dullardi at MuseumsVictoria in MelbourneTom BREAKWELL/MUSEUMS VICTORIA/AFP
The partial fossil skull and teeth of Janjucetus dullardi at MuseumsVictoria in MelbourneTom BREAKWELL/MUSEUMS VICTORIA/AFP Photo by Tom BREAKWELL /MUSEUMS VICTORIA/AFP
The skull belonged to a group of prehistoric whales known as the mammalodontids, distant smaller relatives of today’s filter-feeding whales.
It is the fourth mammalodontid species ever discovered, Museums Victoria said.
“This fossil opens a window into how ancient whales grew and changed, and how evolution shaped their bodies as they adapted to life in the sea,” said palaeontologist Erich Fitzgerald, who co-authored the study.
Victoria’s Surf Coast lies on the Jan Juc Formation — a geological feature dating to the Oligocene epoch between 23 and 30 million years ago.
A string of rare fossils have been unearthed along the scenic stretch of beach, a renowned site for the study of early whale evolution.
“This region was once a cradle for some of the most unusual whales in history, and we’re only just beginning to uncover their stories,” said Fitzgerald.
“We’re entering a new phase of discovery.
“This region is rewriting the story of how whales came to rule the oceans, with some surprising plot twists.”
The species was named Janjucetus dullardi, a nod to local Ross Dullard who stumbled across the skull while strolling the beach in 2019.
It was described in the peer-reviewed Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
torontosun.com
'It's essentially a little whale with big eyes and a mouth full of sharp, slicing teeth'
Author of the article:AFP
AFP
Published Aug 13, 2025 • 1 minute read
Museums Victoria Researcher Ruairidh Duncan (L) and Palaeontologist Erich Fitzgerald with the partial fossil skull and teeth of Janjucetus dullardi in Melbourne.
Museums Victoria Researcher Ruairidh Duncan (L) and Palaeontologist Erich Fitzgerald with the partial fossil skull and teeth of Janjucetus dullardi in Melbourne. Photo by Tom BREAKWELL /MUSEUMS VICTORIA/AFP
Sydney — Australian scientists have discovered a razor-toothed whale that prowled the seas 26 million years ago, saying Wednesday the species was “deceptively cute” but a fearsome predator.
Museums Victoria pieced together the species from an unusually well-preserved skull fossil found on Victoria’s Surf Coast in 2019.
Scientists discovered a “fast, sharp-toothed predator” that would have been about the size of a dolphin.
“It’s essentially a little whale with big eyes and a mouth full of sharp, slicing teeth,” said researcher Ruairidh Duncan.
“Imagine the shark-like version of a baleen whale — small and deceptively cute, but definitely not harmless.”
The partial fossil skull and teeth of Janjucetus dullardi at MuseumsVictoria in MelbourneTom BREAKWELL/MUSEUMS VICTORIA/AFP
The partial fossil skull and teeth of Janjucetus dullardi at MuseumsVictoria in MelbourneTom BREAKWELL/MUSEUMS VICTORIA/AFP Photo by Tom BREAKWELL /MUSEUMS VICTORIA/AFP
The skull belonged to a group of prehistoric whales known as the mammalodontids, distant smaller relatives of today’s filter-feeding whales.
It is the fourth mammalodontid species ever discovered, Museums Victoria said.
“This fossil opens a window into how ancient whales grew and changed, and how evolution shaped their bodies as they adapted to life in the sea,” said palaeontologist Erich Fitzgerald, who co-authored the study.
Victoria’s Surf Coast lies on the Jan Juc Formation — a geological feature dating to the Oligocene epoch between 23 and 30 million years ago.
A string of rare fossils have been unearthed along the scenic stretch of beach, a renowned site for the study of early whale evolution.
“This region was once a cradle for some of the most unusual whales in history, and we’re only just beginning to uncover their stories,” said Fitzgerald.
“We’re entering a new phase of discovery.
“This region is rewriting the story of how whales came to rule the oceans, with some surprising plot twists.”
The species was named Janjucetus dullardi, a nod to local Ross Dullard who stumbled across the skull while strolling the beach in 2019.
It was described in the peer-reviewed Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
Scientists unearth 'cute' but fearsome ancient whale
Museums Victoria pieced together the species from an unusually well-preserved skull fossil found on Victoria's Surf Coast in 2019.
Drinkmate recalls over 100,000 carbonation bottles due to explosion risk
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Aug 14, 2025 • 1 minute read
NEW YORK (AP) — More than 100,000 Drinkmate carbonation bottles are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada because they can explode during use, with several consumers reporting cuts and other impact injuries.
According to a Thursday notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the recall covers certain “Drinkmate 1L Carbonation Bottles” sold individually or as part of the sparkling water maker’s “OmniFizz” starter kits. That includes about 106,200 bottles in the U.S., the safety regulator noted, as well as 5,000 in Canada.
Drinkmate has received eight reports of these now-recalled bottles exploding during use in the U.S., the CPSC noted — four of which resulted in cuts, impact injuries and hearing damage. And per Health Canada, one additional case of a bottle shattering during use and causing some bruises has been reported in Canada.
It wasn’t immediately clear what’s causing these bottles to explode — but Thursday’s recall noted that the issue was limited to Drinkmate’s 1-liter bottles with expiration dates between January 2026 and October 2026. The products have a clear polyethylene terephthalate body and plastic caps and bases in red, blue, white and black colors.
In addition to Drinkmate’s website, these bottles were sold by major retailers — including Walmart, Amazon, Target and Home Depot — between April 2023 and October 2024. Consumers in possession of the now-recalled products are urged to stop using them immediately — and contact Drinkmate for a free replacement.
Those impacted can register for the recall and learn more on Drinkmate’s website. To receive a free replacement bottle, you will need to fill out an online form and upload a picture of the product with the word “recall” written on it in permanent marker, and throw it away per the recall’s instructions.
The Associated Press reached out to Michigan-based Drinkmate for further comment Thursday.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Aug 14, 2025 • 1 minute read
NEW YORK (AP) — More than 100,000 Drinkmate carbonation bottles are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada because they can explode during use, with several consumers reporting cuts and other impact injuries.
According to a Thursday notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the recall covers certain “Drinkmate 1L Carbonation Bottles” sold individually or as part of the sparkling water maker’s “OmniFizz” starter kits. That includes about 106,200 bottles in the U.S., the safety regulator noted, as well as 5,000 in Canada.
Drinkmate has received eight reports of these now-recalled bottles exploding during use in the U.S., the CPSC noted — four of which resulted in cuts, impact injuries and hearing damage. And per Health Canada, one additional case of a bottle shattering during use and causing some bruises has been reported in Canada.
It wasn’t immediately clear what’s causing these bottles to explode — but Thursday’s recall noted that the issue was limited to Drinkmate’s 1-liter bottles with expiration dates between January 2026 and October 2026. The products have a clear polyethylene terephthalate body and plastic caps and bases in red, blue, white and black colors.
In addition to Drinkmate’s website, these bottles were sold by major retailers — including Walmart, Amazon, Target and Home Depot — between April 2023 and October 2024. Consumers in possession of the now-recalled products are urged to stop using them immediately — and contact Drinkmate for a free replacement.
Those impacted can register for the recall and learn more on Drinkmate’s website. To receive a free replacement bottle, you will need to fill out an online form and upload a picture of the product with the word “recall” written on it in permanent marker, and throw it away per the recall’s instructions.
The Associated Press reached out to Michigan-based Drinkmate for further comment Thursday.
Drinkmate recalls over 100,000 carbonation bottles due to explosion risk
More than 100,000 Drinkmate carbonation bottles are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada because they can explode during use.
The potential key to upgrading toothpaste? Sheep’s wool and human hair.
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Mark Johnson, The Washington Post
Published Aug 15, 2025 • 4 minute read
Sherif Elsharkawy with wool in the research laboratory.
Sherif Elsharkawy with wool in the research laboratory.
The next major innovation in dental care just might be a new ingredient added to our toothpaste and mouthwash from an unlikely source: sheep’s wool or human hair.
Both contain the fibrous protein keratin, which can repair damaged tooth enamel, according to an international study led by researchers at King’s College London.
The scientists found that keratin can stop the early stages of tooth decay, a problem that afflicts about 90 percent of American adults aged 20 to 64 years, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Reporting this week in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials, the researchers said that when keratin mixes with the minerals found in saliva, such as calcium and phosphate, it forms a coating that mimics the structure of natural enamel and is comparable in strength.
Tooth enamel, the protective outer layer shielding teeth, is the hardest substance in the human body, but it can be worn away by acidic foods and beverages, acid reflux, dry mouth, poor brushing and flossing, and the nighttime grinding that can occur when we sleep.
While other parts of the human body have the capacity to regenerate – fingernails, skin, bone, blood vessels and the liver – enamel cannot.
“Unfortunately, once you lose the enamel it doesn’t come back. It’s gone forever,” said Sherif Elsharkawy, senior author of the new paper and a senior clinical lecturer in prosthodontics at King’s College London. Prosthodontics is the branch of dentistry dealing with the design, manufacture and fitting of artificial replacements for teeth and other parts of the mouth.
A 2014 paper suggested that hair keratin is important to tooth enamel. Researchers who worked on the study found that people with mutations in the keratin were at increased risk of dental decay.
Keratin is already found in shampoos, conditioners, skin moisturizers and lotions, and food like eggs and salmon promote keratin production.
“It’s extremely safe,” Elsharkawy said.
While keratin has yet to be added to any commercially available toothpaste or mouthwash, that might be only two or three years away, according to Elsharkawy. He also envisions a gel that dentists could use when treating patients with damaged enamel.
Martinna Bertolini, an assistant professor of periodontics and preventive dentistry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine who was not involved in the study, said, “Overall, I think it’s promising as a future formulation, though this paper didn’t test a real product, so formulation, safety, taste, dosing and clinical trials still lie ahead.”
Elsharkawy’s team, which included scientists from the University of Toronto, the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the University of Trento in Italy, tested the keratin using an artificial saliva that has a similar concentrations of elements to our own. They applied the mix to human teeth with lab-created decay and found the treatment filled in the gaps in the enamel and outperformed a plastic resin currently used to treat early decay lesions.
Elsharkawy said the keratin treatment formed a shield that was five to six times harder than the one created by the plastic resin.
Bertolini said it would not be difficult to adjust the chemical components that the researchers used, which should make it simpler to translate their lab results into a product that will work in a dentist’s office.
Sami Dogan, a professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Washington who was not involved in the study, called keratin “a very promising technology,” for enamel repair, but one that is in the very early stages of development and may still be a decade or more from reaching the market.
One clear advantage it would have, he said, is that “keratin from the get-go is very cheap and it’s also abundant.”
Dogan has been working with other researchers on a peptide, a short chain of amino acids, designed to rebuild worn tooth enamel and cover sensitive tissue with “mineral microlayers.” The technique would closely resemble the way the body develops teeth.
Dogan said he could foresee using both methods – the keratin scaffold and the peptide – to treat deep cavities.
Tim Wright, editor in chief of the Journal of the American Dental Association, and a professor at the Adams School of Dentistry at the University of North Carolina, said that there are existing methods of creating dental scaffolding that “are modestly successful.”
While he said there is still a need to develop more effective and cheaper alternatives, he is far from sold on the keratin results in the new paper.
“It’s got promise, but I would want to see it in an actual clinical trial,” he said.
Elsharkawy remains confident. He said researchers intend to conduct a clinical study to learn more about the mechanism and get a better understanding of the most effective dose.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Mark Johnson, The Washington Post
Published Aug 15, 2025 • 4 minute read
Sherif Elsharkawy with wool in the research laboratory.
Sherif Elsharkawy with wool in the research laboratory.
The next major innovation in dental care just might be a new ingredient added to our toothpaste and mouthwash from an unlikely source: sheep’s wool or human hair.
Both contain the fibrous protein keratin, which can repair damaged tooth enamel, according to an international study led by researchers at King’s College London.
The scientists found that keratin can stop the early stages of tooth decay, a problem that afflicts about 90 percent of American adults aged 20 to 64 years, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Reporting this week in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials, the researchers said that when keratin mixes with the minerals found in saliva, such as calcium and phosphate, it forms a coating that mimics the structure of natural enamel and is comparable in strength.
Tooth enamel, the protective outer layer shielding teeth, is the hardest substance in the human body, but it can be worn away by acidic foods and beverages, acid reflux, dry mouth, poor brushing and flossing, and the nighttime grinding that can occur when we sleep.
While other parts of the human body have the capacity to regenerate – fingernails, skin, bone, blood vessels and the liver – enamel cannot.
“Unfortunately, once you lose the enamel it doesn’t come back. It’s gone forever,” said Sherif Elsharkawy, senior author of the new paper and a senior clinical lecturer in prosthodontics at King’s College London. Prosthodontics is the branch of dentistry dealing with the design, manufacture and fitting of artificial replacements for teeth and other parts of the mouth.
A 2014 paper suggested that hair keratin is important to tooth enamel. Researchers who worked on the study found that people with mutations in the keratin were at increased risk of dental decay.
Keratin is already found in shampoos, conditioners, skin moisturizers and lotions, and food like eggs and salmon promote keratin production.
“It’s extremely safe,” Elsharkawy said.
While keratin has yet to be added to any commercially available toothpaste or mouthwash, that might be only two or three years away, according to Elsharkawy. He also envisions a gel that dentists could use when treating patients with damaged enamel.
Martinna Bertolini, an assistant professor of periodontics and preventive dentistry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine who was not involved in the study, said, “Overall, I think it’s promising as a future formulation, though this paper didn’t test a real product, so formulation, safety, taste, dosing and clinical trials still lie ahead.”
Elsharkawy’s team, which included scientists from the University of Toronto, the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the University of Trento in Italy, tested the keratin using an artificial saliva that has a similar concentrations of elements to our own. They applied the mix to human teeth with lab-created decay and found the treatment filled in the gaps in the enamel and outperformed a plastic resin currently used to treat early decay lesions.
Elsharkawy said the keratin treatment formed a shield that was five to six times harder than the one created by the plastic resin.
Bertolini said it would not be difficult to adjust the chemical components that the researchers used, which should make it simpler to translate their lab results into a product that will work in a dentist’s office.
Sami Dogan, a professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Washington who was not involved in the study, called keratin “a very promising technology,” for enamel repair, but one that is in the very early stages of development and may still be a decade or more from reaching the market.
One clear advantage it would have, he said, is that “keratin from the get-go is very cheap and it’s also abundant.”
Dogan has been working with other researchers on a peptide, a short chain of amino acids, designed to rebuild worn tooth enamel and cover sensitive tissue with “mineral microlayers.” The technique would closely resemble the way the body develops teeth.
Dogan said he could foresee using both methods – the keratin scaffold and the peptide – to treat deep cavities.
Tim Wright, editor in chief of the Journal of the American Dental Association, and a professor at the Adams School of Dentistry at the University of North Carolina, said that there are existing methods of creating dental scaffolding that “are modestly successful.”
While he said there is still a need to develop more effective and cheaper alternatives, he is far from sold on the keratin results in the new paper.
“It’s got promise, but I would want to see it in an actual clinical trial,” he said.
Elsharkawy remains confident. He said researchers intend to conduct a clinical study to learn more about the mechanism and get a better understanding of the most effective dose.
The potential key to upgrading toothpaste? Sheep’s wool and human hair.
Both contain the fibrous protein keratin, which can repair damaged tooth enamel, according to an international study.
Scientists discover an ancient whale with a Pokemon face and a predator bite
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Charlotte Graham-mclay
Published Aug 15, 2025 • 3 minute read
081525-Australia-Prehistoric-Whale
In this illustration provided by Ruairidh Duncan a Janjucetus dullardi is depicted chasing a fish. Photo by Ruairidh Duncan /AP
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Long before whales were majestic, gentle giants, some of their prehistoric ancestors were tiny, weird and feral. A chance discovery of a 25 million-year-old fossil on an Australian beach has allowed paleontologists to identify a rare, entirely new species that could unlock mysteries of whale evolution.
Researchers this week officially named Janjucetus dullardi, a cartoonish creature with bulging eyes the size of tennis balls, in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. Unlike today’s whales, the juvenile specimen was small enough to fit in a single bed.
Boasting fiendish teeth and a shark-like snout, however, this oddball of the ocean was nasty, mean and built to hunt.
“It was, let’s say, deceptively cute,” said Erich Fitzgerald, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at Museums Victoria Research Institute, and one of the paper’s authors.
“It might have looked for all the world like some weird kind of mash-up between a whale, a seal and a Pokemon but they were very much their own thing.”
Extinct species was an odd branch on the whale family tree
The rare discovery of the partial skull, including ear bones and teeth, was made in 2019 on a fossil-rich stretch of coast along Australia’s Victoria state. Jan Juc Beach, a cradle for some of the weirdest whales in history, is becoming a hotspot for understanding early whale evolution, Fitzgerald said.
Few family trees seem stranger than that of Janjucetus dullardi, only the fourth species ever identified from a group known as mammalodontids, early whales that lived only during the Oligocene Epoch, about 34 to 23 million years ago. That marked the point about halfway through the known history of whales.
The tiny predators, thought to have grown to 3 meters (10 feet) in length, were an early branch on the line that led to today’s great baleen whales, such as humpbacks, blues and minkes. But the toothy ancestors with powerful jaws would have looked radically different to any modern species.
“They may have had tiny little nubbins of legs just projecting as stumps from the wall of the body,” said Fitzgerald.
That mystery will remain tantalizingly unsolved unless a specimen is uncovered with more of its skeleton intact, which would be something of a miracle. Even the partial skull that allowed the initial identification this week was an astonishing discovery.
081525-Australia-Prehistoric-Whale
In this photo provided by Museums Victoria Ruairidh Duncan examines a tooth and partial fossil skull, at left, in the palaeontology lab at Melbourne Museum in Melbourne, Australia, Aug. 5, 2025. Photo by Tom Breakwell /AP
For an amateur paleontologist, a life-long obsession paid off
Janjucetus dullardi was named by researchers after an amateur fossil hunter who doesn’t mind its looks in the slightest.
“It’s literally been the greatest 24 hours of my life,” said Ross Dullard, who discovered the skull while fossil hunting at Jan Juc Beach. After Wednesday’s confirmation of the new species, the school principal walked like a rock star onto campus with “high fives coming left, right and center,” he said.
His friends and family are probably just relieved it’s over.
“That’s all they’ve heard from me for about the last six years,” he said.
Dullard was on a regular low-tide hunt at Jan Juc the day he spotted something black protruding from a cliff. Poking it dislodged a tooth.
He knew enough to recognize it was unlikely to belong to a dog or a seal.
“I thought, geez, we’ve got something special here,” he said. Dullard sent photos to Museums Victoria, where Fitzgerald saw them and immediately suspected a new species.
Ancient whale finds are rare but significant
Confirming the find was another matter. This was the first mammalodontid to be identified in Australia since 2006 and only the third on record in the country.
Fossils of sufficient quality, with enough of the right details preserved to confirm uniqueness, aren’t common.
“Cetaceans represent a fairly miniscule population of all life,” Fitzgerald said. Millions of years of erosion, scavengers and ocean currents take their toll on whale skeletons too.
“It’s only the chosen few, the vast minority of all whales that have ever lived and died in the oceans over millions of years, that actually get preserved as fossils,” he added.
Finds such as Janjucetus dullardi can unlock insights into how prehistoric whales ate, moved, behaved — and evolved. Researchers said the discoveries also helped to understand how ancient cetacean species adapted to warmer oceans, as they study how today’s marine life might respond to climate change.
Meanwhile, Dullard planned to host a fossil party this weekend, featuring cetacean-themed games and whale-shaped treats in jello, to celebrate his nightmare Muppet find, finally confirmed.
“That’s taken my concentration for six years,” he said. “I’ve had sleepless nights. I’ve dreamt about this whale.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Charlotte Graham-mclay
Published Aug 15, 2025 • 3 minute read
081525-Australia-Prehistoric-Whale
In this illustration provided by Ruairidh Duncan a Janjucetus dullardi is depicted chasing a fish. Photo by Ruairidh Duncan /AP
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Long before whales were majestic, gentle giants, some of their prehistoric ancestors were tiny, weird and feral. A chance discovery of a 25 million-year-old fossil on an Australian beach has allowed paleontologists to identify a rare, entirely new species that could unlock mysteries of whale evolution.
Researchers this week officially named Janjucetus dullardi, a cartoonish creature with bulging eyes the size of tennis balls, in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. Unlike today’s whales, the juvenile specimen was small enough to fit in a single bed.
Boasting fiendish teeth and a shark-like snout, however, this oddball of the ocean was nasty, mean and built to hunt.
“It was, let’s say, deceptively cute,” said Erich Fitzgerald, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at Museums Victoria Research Institute, and one of the paper’s authors.
“It might have looked for all the world like some weird kind of mash-up between a whale, a seal and a Pokemon but they were very much their own thing.”
Extinct species was an odd branch on the whale family tree
The rare discovery of the partial skull, including ear bones and teeth, was made in 2019 on a fossil-rich stretch of coast along Australia’s Victoria state. Jan Juc Beach, a cradle for some of the weirdest whales in history, is becoming a hotspot for understanding early whale evolution, Fitzgerald said.
Few family trees seem stranger than that of Janjucetus dullardi, only the fourth species ever identified from a group known as mammalodontids, early whales that lived only during the Oligocene Epoch, about 34 to 23 million years ago. That marked the point about halfway through the known history of whales.
The tiny predators, thought to have grown to 3 meters (10 feet) in length, were an early branch on the line that led to today’s great baleen whales, such as humpbacks, blues and minkes. But the toothy ancestors with powerful jaws would have looked radically different to any modern species.
“They may have had tiny little nubbins of legs just projecting as stumps from the wall of the body,” said Fitzgerald.
That mystery will remain tantalizingly unsolved unless a specimen is uncovered with more of its skeleton intact, which would be something of a miracle. Even the partial skull that allowed the initial identification this week was an astonishing discovery.
081525-Australia-Prehistoric-Whale
In this photo provided by Museums Victoria Ruairidh Duncan examines a tooth and partial fossil skull, at left, in the palaeontology lab at Melbourne Museum in Melbourne, Australia, Aug. 5, 2025. Photo by Tom Breakwell /AP
For an amateur paleontologist, a life-long obsession paid off
Janjucetus dullardi was named by researchers after an amateur fossil hunter who doesn’t mind its looks in the slightest.
“It’s literally been the greatest 24 hours of my life,” said Ross Dullard, who discovered the skull while fossil hunting at Jan Juc Beach. After Wednesday’s confirmation of the new species, the school principal walked like a rock star onto campus with “high fives coming left, right and center,” he said.
His friends and family are probably just relieved it’s over.
“That’s all they’ve heard from me for about the last six years,” he said.
Dullard was on a regular low-tide hunt at Jan Juc the day he spotted something black protruding from a cliff. Poking it dislodged a tooth.
He knew enough to recognize it was unlikely to belong to a dog or a seal.
“I thought, geez, we’ve got something special here,” he said. Dullard sent photos to Museums Victoria, where Fitzgerald saw them and immediately suspected a new species.
Ancient whale finds are rare but significant
Confirming the find was another matter. This was the first mammalodontid to be identified in Australia since 2006 and only the third on record in the country.
Fossils of sufficient quality, with enough of the right details preserved to confirm uniqueness, aren’t common.
“Cetaceans represent a fairly miniscule population of all life,” Fitzgerald said. Millions of years of erosion, scavengers and ocean currents take their toll on whale skeletons too.
“It’s only the chosen few, the vast minority of all whales that have ever lived and died in the oceans over millions of years, that actually get preserved as fossils,” he added.
Finds such as Janjucetus dullardi can unlock insights into how prehistoric whales ate, moved, behaved — and evolved. Researchers said the discoveries also helped to understand how ancient cetacean species adapted to warmer oceans, as they study how today’s marine life might respond to climate change.
Meanwhile, Dullard planned to host a fossil party this weekend, featuring cetacean-themed games and whale-shaped treats in jello, to celebrate his nightmare Muppet find, finally confirmed.
“That’s taken my concentration for six years,” he said. “I’ve had sleepless nights. I’ve dreamt about this whale.”
Scientists discover an ancient whale with a Pokemon face and a predator bite
Boasting fiendish teeth and a shark-like snout, however, this oddball of the ocean was nasty, mean and built to hunt.
'Frankenbunnies' with spikes on heads scaring Americans
Author of the articleostmedia News
Published Aug 17, 2025 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 2 minute read
'Frankenbunnies' have strange growths coming out of their heads.
'Frankenbunnies' have strange growths coming out of their heads. Photo by SCREEN GRAB /Reddit/Different_Try3353
These frightening rabbits have people hopping for cover in the U.S.
A rapidly spreading virus is causing cottontail rabbits to grow black, tentacle-like growths out of their heads, prompting warnings to stay away from the mutated animals.
The creatures, dubbed “Frankenbunnnies,” have been seen multiple times in Fort Collins, Colo., per the New York Post.
“I thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn’t,” resident Susan Manfield told 9News, per the Post, after she said she saw a rabbit with what looked like “black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth.”
However, she said, “he came back a second year, and it grew.”
Another person described the infected rabbits as having a “scabbiesh-looking growth over their face.”
The bunny problem is caused by cottontail papilloma virus (CRPV), which is also known as Shope papilloma virus. It causes cottontails to sprout tumors around their head and is spread by parasites, ticks and fleas, which pass on the ailment through their bites, according to Pet MD.
“Typically, rabbits become infected in the warmer months of summer when transmitted by being bitten by insects like fleas and ticks,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Kara Van Hoose said, per the Coloradoan.
Recent sightings have occurred in Colorado but the disease most frequently comes up in the Midwest.
With rampant CRPV sightings, wildlife experts are warning people not to approach or handle any of the afflicted rabbits.
While the virus can spread between rabbits, it’s not known to infect humans or pets. As such it is not considered a threat to public health, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
According to the U.K. Daily Mail, the protrusions can grow to the point where they interfere with the infected rabbit’s ability to eat, causing the animals to die of starvation.
The disease is more severe in domestic bunnies than their wild brethren.
CRPV has no known cure.
nypost.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article
ostmedia NewsPublished Aug 17, 2025 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 2 minute read
'Frankenbunnies' have strange growths coming out of their heads.
'Frankenbunnies' have strange growths coming out of their heads. Photo by SCREEN GRAB /Reddit/Different_Try3353
These frightening rabbits have people hopping for cover in the U.S.
A rapidly spreading virus is causing cottontail rabbits to grow black, tentacle-like growths out of their heads, prompting warnings to stay away from the mutated animals.
The creatures, dubbed “Frankenbunnnies,” have been seen multiple times in Fort Collins, Colo., per the New York Post.
“I thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn’t,” resident Susan Manfield told 9News, per the Post, after she said she saw a rabbit with what looked like “black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth.”
However, she said, “he came back a second year, and it grew.”
Another person described the infected rabbits as having a “scabbiesh-looking growth over their face.”
The bunny problem is caused by cottontail papilloma virus (CRPV), which is also known as Shope papilloma virus. It causes cottontails to sprout tumors around their head and is spread by parasites, ticks and fleas, which pass on the ailment through their bites, according to Pet MD.
“Typically, rabbits become infected in the warmer months of summer when transmitted by being bitten by insects like fleas and ticks,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Kara Van Hoose said, per the Coloradoan.
Recent sightings have occurred in Colorado but the disease most frequently comes up in the Midwest.
With rampant CRPV sightings, wildlife experts are warning people not to approach or handle any of the afflicted rabbits.
While the virus can spread between rabbits, it’s not known to infect humans or pets. As such it is not considered a threat to public health, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
According to the U.K. Daily Mail, the protrusions can grow to the point where they interfere with the infected rabbit’s ability to eat, causing the animals to die of starvation.
The disease is more severe in domestic bunnies than their wild brethren.
CRPV has no known cure.
‘Frankenstein’ rabbits with horrifying spikes growing from their heads are invading the US — and experts warn to stay away
A rapidly spreading virus is causing cottontail rabbits to grow black, tentacle-like growths out of their heads, prompting warnings to steer clear of the mutated animals.
nypost.com
'Frankenbunnies' with spikes on heads scaring Americans
These frightening rabbits have people hopping for cover in the U.S.
Doctors are seeing more non-smokers, especially women, with later-stage lung cancer
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Nicole Ireland
Published Aug 18, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 5 minute read
Katie Hulan’s family doctor thought she might have asthma.
Her cough, which had started about a month and a half earlier, was getting progressively worse. So he gave her some puffers to try, but they didn’t work.
“I was just getting to the point where I couldn’t speak at work,” said the 37-year-old tech marketing manager.
“At the end of the day, I would be in pain just from the shaking and coughing.”
Her doctor ordered an X-ray that showed a mass on her lung.
“(My doctor) said to go to emergency, thinking it was a blood clot,” Hulan remembers.
After about six hours of more tests, they told her she had stage 4 lung cancer.
“That was one of the most devastating moments of my life,” she said.
“My immediate reaction was, ‘I know how this story ends.’ And so for me, it just felt completely like a death sentence.”
She had been healthy, active and didn’t smoke.
“For me to get a cancer diagnosis was a big shock. And then to have a lung cancer diagnosis was very puzzling for me,” said Hulan, who was diagnosed in Toronto in late 2020 and has since moved to Victoria where she continues treatment.
She’s one of a growing number of non-smokers doctors are seeing with lung cancer. Although smoking remains the leading risk factor, the Canadian Cancer Society estimates about a quarter of lung cancer cases in the country are non-smokers.
In addition, more of those non-smokers are women than men and it’s not clear why, said Jessica Moffatt, vice-president of programs and advocacy at the Lung Health Foundation.
“One of the theories is that potentially estrogen is doing something to perpetuate tumour growth, but it’s all theories at this point,” she said.
What scientists do know is that environmental factors contribute to lung cancer risk, especially radon gas.
According to Health Canada, long-term exposure to radon — an invisible, radioactive gas from the breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks — is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. The agency says radon is present to some degree in every home and urges everyone to get a radon test kit to check their levels.
Other risk factors include exposure to second-hand smoke, asbestos and the fine particulate matter in air pollution, Moffatt said.
As wildfires rage across the country, the effects of that smoke is “a huge concern for us” and is an area being studied to determine lung cancer risk, she said.
Dr. Rosalyn Juergens, a medical oncologist at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences Centre, said studies have shown that people living in areas with high air pollution rates have a higher risk of developing lung cancer.
Over about 20 years in practice, she has “absolutely” seen a rise in non-smoking lung cancer patients.
“It was uncommon for me, not never, but uncommon for me, to see a never-smoker when I first started in practice. And we are definitely seeing more and more,” said Juergens, who is also the president of Lung Cancer Canada.
It’s not clear whether there are more non-smokers getting lung cancer or if they just make up a greater proportion of the patients as fewer people smoke than ever before, she said.
Many of her non-smoking patients are women, but people simply aren’t aware of lung cancer as a women’s health issue, she said. When non-smokers reach her office, their cancer is often in advanced stages.
“More women will die of lung cancer than will die of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and cervical cancer combined,” Juergens said. “One in five of them will be people who have never touched a cigarette a day in their lives.”
Although organized lung cancer screening programs have been running in British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia since 2022, they only target smokers, so non-smokers don’t get the benefit of that early detection.
In addition, lung cancer is often not top-of-mind for primary-care providers when non-smoking patients come in with a cough, Juergens said.
“The tricky part about lung cancer is symptoms are generally very subtle, right? Your lungs inside don’t have nerve endings. So it’s not like you’re going to get a pain. You’re never going to feel a lump,” she said.
But the good news for many patients, Juergens said, is that lung cancer treatment has advanced dramatically since the 1990s, when chemotherapy was often the only option.
“We do things called next generation sequencing on the vast majority of lung cancers, and that helps us to sort what exact type of lung cancer it is and pick the right treatments,” she said.
That precision medicine turned Katie Hulan’s initial life expectancy of six months into an average of five to six years. A biopsy showed that her cancer had an ALK genetic mutation — one of about a dozen biomarkers that have specific medications to target the cancerous cells, and is only present in about four per cent of cases.
“When I got that news, it felt like a 180. I had life. I had hope. You know, my oncologist sat down and said, ‘you won the lottery, you have years,”‘ she said.
Almost five years after her diagnosis, Hulan continues to take a pill as her treatment, never had to undergo chemotherapy, feels “wonderful” and is determined to live a long, full life.
She now does advocacy work for the Lung Health Foundation to call for equal access to targeted cancer medication across the country and to urge people to seek medical attention if they have a cough that lasts more than two or three weeks.
“I think the word on the street is that you have to be a person who has smoked and that’s not at all the case,” she said.
“Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Nicole Ireland
Published Aug 18, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 5 minute read
Katie Hulan’s family doctor thought she might have asthma.
Her cough, which had started about a month and a half earlier, was getting progressively worse. So he gave her some puffers to try, but they didn’t work.
“I was just getting to the point where I couldn’t speak at work,” said the 37-year-old tech marketing manager.
“At the end of the day, I would be in pain just from the shaking and coughing.”
Her doctor ordered an X-ray that showed a mass on her lung.
“(My doctor) said to go to emergency, thinking it was a blood clot,” Hulan remembers.
After about six hours of more tests, they told her she had stage 4 lung cancer.
“That was one of the most devastating moments of my life,” she said.
“My immediate reaction was, ‘I know how this story ends.’ And so for me, it just felt completely like a death sentence.”
She had been healthy, active and didn’t smoke.
“For me to get a cancer diagnosis was a big shock. And then to have a lung cancer diagnosis was very puzzling for me,” said Hulan, who was diagnosed in Toronto in late 2020 and has since moved to Victoria where she continues treatment.
She’s one of a growing number of non-smokers doctors are seeing with lung cancer. Although smoking remains the leading risk factor, the Canadian Cancer Society estimates about a quarter of lung cancer cases in the country are non-smokers.
In addition, more of those non-smokers are women than men and it’s not clear why, said Jessica Moffatt, vice-president of programs and advocacy at the Lung Health Foundation.
“One of the theories is that potentially estrogen is doing something to perpetuate tumour growth, but it’s all theories at this point,” she said.
What scientists do know is that environmental factors contribute to lung cancer risk, especially radon gas.
According to Health Canada, long-term exposure to radon — an invisible, radioactive gas from the breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks — is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. The agency says radon is present to some degree in every home and urges everyone to get a radon test kit to check their levels.
Other risk factors include exposure to second-hand smoke, asbestos and the fine particulate matter in air pollution, Moffatt said.
As wildfires rage across the country, the effects of that smoke is “a huge concern for us” and is an area being studied to determine lung cancer risk, she said.
Dr. Rosalyn Juergens, a medical oncologist at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences Centre, said studies have shown that people living in areas with high air pollution rates have a higher risk of developing lung cancer.
Over about 20 years in practice, she has “absolutely” seen a rise in non-smoking lung cancer patients.
“It was uncommon for me, not never, but uncommon for me, to see a never-smoker when I first started in practice. And we are definitely seeing more and more,” said Juergens, who is also the president of Lung Cancer Canada.
It’s not clear whether there are more non-smokers getting lung cancer or if they just make up a greater proportion of the patients as fewer people smoke than ever before, she said.
Many of her non-smoking patients are women, but people simply aren’t aware of lung cancer as a women’s health issue, she said. When non-smokers reach her office, their cancer is often in advanced stages.
“More women will die of lung cancer than will die of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and cervical cancer combined,” Juergens said. “One in five of them will be people who have never touched a cigarette a day in their lives.”
Although organized lung cancer screening programs have been running in British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia since 2022, they only target smokers, so non-smokers don’t get the benefit of that early detection.
In addition, lung cancer is often not top-of-mind for primary-care providers when non-smoking patients come in with a cough, Juergens said.
“The tricky part about lung cancer is symptoms are generally very subtle, right? Your lungs inside don’t have nerve endings. So it’s not like you’re going to get a pain. You’re never going to feel a lump,” she said.
But the good news for many patients, Juergens said, is that lung cancer treatment has advanced dramatically since the 1990s, when chemotherapy was often the only option.
“We do things called next generation sequencing on the vast majority of lung cancers, and that helps us to sort what exact type of lung cancer it is and pick the right treatments,” she said.
That precision medicine turned Katie Hulan’s initial life expectancy of six months into an average of five to six years. A biopsy showed that her cancer had an ALK genetic mutation — one of about a dozen biomarkers that have specific medications to target the cancerous cells, and is only present in about four per cent of cases.
“When I got that news, it felt like a 180. I had life. I had hope. You know, my oncologist sat down and said, ‘you won the lottery, you have years,”‘ she said.
Almost five years after her diagnosis, Hulan continues to take a pill as her treatment, never had to undergo chemotherapy, feels “wonderful” and is determined to live a long, full life.
She now does advocacy work for the Lung Health Foundation to call for equal access to targeted cancer medication across the country and to urge people to seek medical attention if they have a cough that lasts more than two or three weeks.
“I think the word on the street is that you have to be a person who has smoked and that’s not at all the case,” she said.
“Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.”
Doctors are seeing more non-smokers, especially women, with later-stage lung cancer
Katie Hulan's family doctor thought she might have asthma.
Walmart recalls frozen shrimp over potential radioactive contamination
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jonel Aleccia
Published Aug 19, 2025 • 2 minute read
Walmart has recalled frozen, raw shrimp sold in 13 states because federal health officials say it could have potential radioactive contamination.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked Walmart to pull three lots of Great Value brand frozen shrimp from stores after federal officials detected Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, in shipping containers and a sample of breaded shrimp imported from Indonesia.
The products could pose a “potential health concern” for people exposed to low levels of Cesium-137 over time, FDA officials said.
“If you have recently purchased raw frozen shrimp from Walmart that matches this description, throw it away,” FDA officials said in a statement.
The risk from the recalled shrimp is “quite low,” said Donald Schaffner, a food safety expert at Rutgers University.
Cesium-137 is a byproduct of nuclear reactions, including nuclear bombs, testing, reactor operations and accidents. It’s widespread around the world, with trace amounts found in the environment, including soil, food and air.
The level detected in the frozen breaded shrimp was far lower than FDA intervention levels. However, the agency said that avoiding potentially contaminated products could reduce exposure to low-level radiation that could lead to health problems over time.
The FDA is investigating reports of Cesium-137 contamination in shipping containers and products processed by P.T. Bahari Makmur Sejati, doing business as BMS Foods of Indonesia. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials alerted FDA that they found Cesium-137 in shipping containers sent to U.S. ports in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and Savannah, Ga.
FDA officials collected several product samples and detected contamination in one sample of frozen breaded shrimp. The shipping containers and products were denied entry into the U.S.
However, the FDA then learned that Walmart had received potentially affected products imported after the first detection, from shipments that did not trigger contamination alerts.
Walmart immediately recalled the products, a company spokesperson said. They include Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp with lot codes 8005540-1, 8005538-1 and 8005539-1, all with best-by dates of March 15, 2027. The shrimp was sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia. Consumers should discard the products or return them to any Walmart store for refund.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jonel Aleccia
Published Aug 19, 2025 • 2 minute read
Walmart has recalled frozen, raw shrimp sold in 13 states because federal health officials say it could have potential radioactive contamination.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked Walmart to pull three lots of Great Value brand frozen shrimp from stores after federal officials detected Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, in shipping containers and a sample of breaded shrimp imported from Indonesia.
The products could pose a “potential health concern” for people exposed to low levels of Cesium-137 over time, FDA officials said.
“If you have recently purchased raw frozen shrimp from Walmart that matches this description, throw it away,” FDA officials said in a statement.
The risk from the recalled shrimp is “quite low,” said Donald Schaffner, a food safety expert at Rutgers University.
Cesium-137 is a byproduct of nuclear reactions, including nuclear bombs, testing, reactor operations and accidents. It’s widespread around the world, with trace amounts found in the environment, including soil, food and air.
The level detected in the frozen breaded shrimp was far lower than FDA intervention levels. However, the agency said that avoiding potentially contaminated products could reduce exposure to low-level radiation that could lead to health problems over time.
The FDA is investigating reports of Cesium-137 contamination in shipping containers and products processed by P.T. Bahari Makmur Sejati, doing business as BMS Foods of Indonesia. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials alerted FDA that they found Cesium-137 in shipping containers sent to U.S. ports in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and Savannah, Ga.
FDA officials collected several product samples and detected contamination in one sample of frozen breaded shrimp. The shipping containers and products were denied entry into the U.S.
However, the FDA then learned that Walmart had received potentially affected products imported after the first detection, from shipments that did not trigger contamination alerts.
Walmart immediately recalled the products, a company spokesperson said. They include Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp with lot codes 8005540-1, 8005538-1 and 8005539-1, all with best-by dates of March 15, 2027. The shrimp was sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia. Consumers should discard the products or return them to any Walmart store for refund.
Walmart recalls frozen shrimp over potential radioactive contamination
Walmart has recalled frozen, raw shrimp sold in 13 states because health officials say it could have potential radioactive contamination.
it aint safe to eat nutin.Walmart recalls frozen shrimp over potential radioactive contamination
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jonel Aleccia
Published Aug 19, 2025 • 2 minute read
Walmart has recalled frozen, raw shrimp sold in 13 states because federal health officials say it could have potential radioactive contamination.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked Walmart to pull three lots of Great Value brand frozen shrimp from stores after federal officials detected Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, in shipping containers and a sample of breaded shrimp imported from Indonesia.
The products could pose a “potential health concern” for people exposed to low levels of Cesium-137 over time, FDA officials said.
“If you have recently purchased raw frozen shrimp from Walmart that matches this description, throw it away,” FDA officials said in a statement.
The risk from the recalled shrimp is “quite low,” said Donald Schaffner, a food safety expert at Rutgers University.
Cesium-137 is a byproduct of nuclear reactions, including nuclear bombs, testing, reactor operations and accidents. It’s widespread around the world, with trace amounts found in the environment, including soil, food and air.
The level detected in the frozen breaded shrimp was far lower than FDA intervention levels. However, the agency said that avoiding potentially contaminated products could reduce exposure to low-level radiation that could lead to health problems over time.
The FDA is investigating reports of Cesium-137 contamination in shipping containers and products processed by P.T. Bahari Makmur Sejati, doing business as BMS Foods of Indonesia. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials alerted FDA that they found Cesium-137 in shipping containers sent to U.S. ports in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and Savannah, Ga.
FDA officials collected several product samples and detected contamination in one sample of frozen breaded shrimp. The shipping containers and products were denied entry into the U.S.
However, the FDA then learned that Walmart had received potentially affected products imported after the first detection, from shipments that did not trigger contamination alerts.
Walmart immediately recalled the products, a company spokesperson said. They include Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp with lot codes 8005540-1, 8005538-1 and 8005539-1, all with best-by dates of March 15, 2027. The shrimp was sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia. Consumers should discard the products or return them to any Walmart store for refund.
Walmart recalls frozen shrimp over potential radioactive contamination
Walmart has recalled frozen, raw shrimp sold in 13 states because health officials say it could have potential radioactive contamination.
What happens if you drink from a plastic water bottle left in a hot car
Under certain circumstances, these bottles can release plastic particles, along with chemicals and metals, into the water, research shows.
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Lindsey Bever
Published Aug 20, 2025 • Last updated 16 hours ago • 4 minute read
Is it true that you should not drink from plastic water bottles left in a hot car?
The science:
Microplastics – plastic particles smaller than 5 millimetres – are in our food, water, clothing, personal care products, cosmetics and environment.
And plastic water bottles.
Under certain circumstances, these bottles – particularly single-use ones, as they are not as durable – can release plastic particles, along with chemicals and metals, into the water, research shows.
Single-use plastic bottles are made of a thin plastic known as polyethylene terephthalate, or PET. Despite how it appears to the naked eye, plastic is not a solid material but is akin to “an entangled web,” and the molecules trapped inside, including certain chemicals, diffuse their way out, which happens slowly over time, said Bill Carroll, an adjunct professor of chemistry at Indiana University.
Heat and ultraviolet light, however, might accelerate this leaching, as well as degrade the plastic and cause it to shed, experts said. A 2023 study found that four common plastics, including polyethylene, that were weathered using a UV-light chamber and an incubator set to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, released microparticles and nanoparticles. Control samples that were kept in a dark, 40-degree refrigerator, however, released few to no particles.
Health risks from a single incident are probably low, but “I would be cautious about repeated or chronic exposures,” said Jaime Ross, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the University of Rhode Island, whose lab has been studying the link between exposure to nano-microplastics and cognition and memory in mice.
Additionally, once you start drinking, try not to leave the rest of the liquid in a warm environment, “as the heat could contribute to the growth of pathogens,” she cautioned.
Microplastics, and particularly nanoplastics, which are smaller than 1 micrometre, can penetrate biological tissues in the liver, kidney, colon, placenta, lung, brain and heart, and enter blood cells and even breastmilk, said Nicole Deziel, an associate professor of environmental health sciences at the Yale School of Public Health.
Plastics can also contain chemicals such as phenols and phthalates that have been linked to health problems such as pregnancy issues and neurodevelopmental concerns, said Deziel, who is also the co-director of the Yale Center for Perinatal, Pediatric and Environmental Epidemiology.
But the potential health consequences and individual risks are not well understood because the effects of microplastics and nanoplastics were not studied until recent years, and more research is needed, experts said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates the safety of bottled water and packaging. And the International Bottled Water Association contends that “conclusions that drinking water is a major route for oral intake of micro- and nanoplastics are not justified based on the current science available. In addition, there are no certified testing methods and no scientific consensus on the potential health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics.”
While potential risks warrant taking precautions such as switching to plastic alternatives, that should not stop people from drinking water from single-use plastic bottles from a hot car when necessary, some experts said.
“The dangers of dehydration are far worse than the dangers of being exposed to the microplastics,” said Christopher Hine, an associate on staff in the Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences at Cleveland Clinic.
What else you should know:
You can limit your exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics with these tips from experts:
Use glass or stainless-steel bottles. Even reusable BPA-free plastic bottles, which are made of harder plastics that are typically more stable and designed for repeated use, still carry the same fundamental issues as other plastics, Deziel said. She and other experts recommend using bottles made of more inert materials such as glass and stainless steel.
Store plastic water bottles away from heat and UV light. When you need to keep plastic water bottles in the car for use during sporting events or workouts, road trips or emergency preparedness, store them in a cooler when possible. Also, because UV light can induce degradation, shield them from sunlight, said Matthew MacLeod, a professor of environmental science at Stockholm University in Sweden. If you don’t have a cooler, toss a blanket over them or put them under the seat or in the trunk.
Regularly swap out single-use plastic water bottles that are kept in the car to reduce potential exposures.
Take the same precautions with plastic food-storage containers. Plastic containers that are left outside in the hot sun for a long period of time after a cookout, for instance, may release microplastics and chemicals into the food, Hine said. “Ingestion exposure isn’t just from the water. It’s basically anything that is contained in plastic,” he said.
Follow expiration dates on packaging, even for shelf-stable foods such as spices in plastic jars. Oftentimes, the expiration date is not for the food item but for the packaging, which, over time, may start to shed microplastics and leach chemicals into the product, Hine said.
The bottom line:
It is best to avoid drinking water from single-use plastic bottles that have been in a hot car. But available research in healthy individuals indicates that it is not likely to cause significant harm with rare exposures, experts said.
torontosun.com
Under certain circumstances, these bottles can release plastic particles, along with chemicals and metals, into the water, research shows.
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Lindsey Bever
Published Aug 20, 2025 • Last updated 16 hours ago • 4 minute read
Is it true that you should not drink from plastic water bottles left in a hot car?
The science:
Microplastics – plastic particles smaller than 5 millimetres – are in our food, water, clothing, personal care products, cosmetics and environment.
And plastic water bottles.
Under certain circumstances, these bottles – particularly single-use ones, as they are not as durable – can release plastic particles, along with chemicals and metals, into the water, research shows.
Single-use plastic bottles are made of a thin plastic known as polyethylene terephthalate, or PET. Despite how it appears to the naked eye, plastic is not a solid material but is akin to “an entangled web,” and the molecules trapped inside, including certain chemicals, diffuse their way out, which happens slowly over time, said Bill Carroll, an adjunct professor of chemistry at Indiana University.
Heat and ultraviolet light, however, might accelerate this leaching, as well as degrade the plastic and cause it to shed, experts said. A 2023 study found that four common plastics, including polyethylene, that were weathered using a UV-light chamber and an incubator set to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, released microparticles and nanoparticles. Control samples that were kept in a dark, 40-degree refrigerator, however, released few to no particles.
Health risks from a single incident are probably low, but “I would be cautious about repeated or chronic exposures,” said Jaime Ross, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the University of Rhode Island, whose lab has been studying the link between exposure to nano-microplastics and cognition and memory in mice.
Additionally, once you start drinking, try not to leave the rest of the liquid in a warm environment, “as the heat could contribute to the growth of pathogens,” she cautioned.
Microplastics, and particularly nanoplastics, which are smaller than 1 micrometre, can penetrate biological tissues in the liver, kidney, colon, placenta, lung, brain and heart, and enter blood cells and even breastmilk, said Nicole Deziel, an associate professor of environmental health sciences at the Yale School of Public Health.
Plastics can also contain chemicals such as phenols and phthalates that have been linked to health problems such as pregnancy issues and neurodevelopmental concerns, said Deziel, who is also the co-director of the Yale Center for Perinatal, Pediatric and Environmental Epidemiology.
But the potential health consequences and individual risks are not well understood because the effects of microplastics and nanoplastics were not studied until recent years, and more research is needed, experts said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates the safety of bottled water and packaging. And the International Bottled Water Association contends that “conclusions that drinking water is a major route for oral intake of micro- and nanoplastics are not justified based on the current science available. In addition, there are no certified testing methods and no scientific consensus on the potential health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics.”
While potential risks warrant taking precautions such as switching to plastic alternatives, that should not stop people from drinking water from single-use plastic bottles from a hot car when necessary, some experts said.
“The dangers of dehydration are far worse than the dangers of being exposed to the microplastics,” said Christopher Hine, an associate on staff in the Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences at Cleveland Clinic.
What else you should know:
You can limit your exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics with these tips from experts:
Use glass or stainless-steel bottles. Even reusable BPA-free plastic bottles, which are made of harder plastics that are typically more stable and designed for repeated use, still carry the same fundamental issues as other plastics, Deziel said. She and other experts recommend using bottles made of more inert materials such as glass and stainless steel.
Store plastic water bottles away from heat and UV light. When you need to keep plastic water bottles in the car for use during sporting events or workouts, road trips or emergency preparedness, store them in a cooler when possible. Also, because UV light can induce degradation, shield them from sunlight, said Matthew MacLeod, a professor of environmental science at Stockholm University in Sweden. If you don’t have a cooler, toss a blanket over them or put them under the seat or in the trunk.
Regularly swap out single-use plastic water bottles that are kept in the car to reduce potential exposures.
Take the same precautions with plastic food-storage containers. Plastic containers that are left outside in the hot sun for a long period of time after a cookout, for instance, may release microplastics and chemicals into the food, Hine said. “Ingestion exposure isn’t just from the water. It’s basically anything that is contained in plastic,” he said.
Follow expiration dates on packaging, even for shelf-stable foods such as spices in plastic jars. Oftentimes, the expiration date is not for the food item but for the packaging, which, over time, may start to shed microplastics and leach chemicals into the product, Hine said.
The bottom line:
It is best to avoid drinking water from single-use plastic bottles that have been in a hot car. But available research in healthy individuals indicates that it is not likely to cause significant harm with rare exposures, experts said.
What happens if you drink from a plastic water bottle left in a hot car
Is it true that you should not drink from plastic water bottles left in a hot car?