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Exploring why cancer is striking the young

A recent investigation into the growing trend of cancer among individuals under 50 unveils a complex interplay of factors that may be responsible. Heidi Ledford reports for Nature.In short:Global statistics reveal a worrying increase in early-onset cancers, with a predicted 30% rise in cases by 2030.Researchers are examining potential causes, including obesity, genetics, and environmental factors, but the exact reasons remain elusive.Efforts are underway to improve early detection and understand the impact of lifestyle and prenatal exposures on cancer risk.Key quote: "If it had been a single smoking gun, our studies would have at least pointed to one factor." — Sonia Kupfer, gastroenterologist at the University of Chicago in IllinoisWhy this matters: A clear, singular cause of the rise in early-onset cancers remains elusive. Researchers suggest that a combination of factors is likely responsible.Listen as EHN reporter Kristina Marusic discusses the results of a new study that linked more than 900 common, everyday chemicals to increased breast cancer risk.

A recent investigation into the growing trend of cancer among individuals under 50 unveils a complex interplay of factors that may be responsible. Heidi Ledford reports for Nature.In short:Global statistics reveal a worrying increase in early-onset cancers, with a predicted 30% rise in cases by 2030.Researchers are examining potential causes, including obesity, genetics, and environmental factors, but the exact reasons remain elusive.Efforts are underway to improve early detection and understand the impact of lifestyle and prenatal exposures on cancer risk.Key quote: "If it had been a single smoking gun, our studies would have at least pointed to one factor." — Sonia Kupfer, gastroenterologist at the University of Chicago in IllinoisWhy this matters: A clear, singular cause of the rise in early-onset cancers remains elusive. Researchers suggest that a combination of factors is likely responsible.Listen as EHN reporter Kristina Marusic discusses the results of a new study that linked more than 900 common, everyday chemicals to increased breast cancer risk.

Turning Libya's plastic waste into community support

In Libya, a grassroots effort to recycle plastic waste is rejuvenating communities and aiding cancer patients.Radwan Khashim reports for Ensia.In short:Mustafa Balhaj, a retired teacher, initiated recycling projects in Libya to combat plastic pollution and support those in need.These initiatives not only clean the environment but also fund cancer treatment and empower vulnerable populations.The efforts have gained traction, creating jobs and offering new hope in areas affected by war and economic downturn.Key quote:"I felt it was my calling to clean the beaches and the city. I pursued that."— Mustafa Balhaj, retired teacherWhy this matters:In a country fragmented by conflict, these recycling projects are a silver lining, improving health outcomes and community well-being. Beyond environmental impact, they demonstrate how grassroots movements can fill gaps left by governmental instability, offering lessons in resilience and community care.Lost fishing nets, plastic twine, plastic packaging, balloon string, plastic chairs - all this trash is rising in our oceans.

In Libya, a grassroots effort to recycle plastic waste is rejuvenating communities and aiding cancer patients.Radwan Khashim reports for Ensia.In short:Mustafa Balhaj, a retired teacher, initiated recycling projects in Libya to combat plastic pollution and support those in need.These initiatives not only clean the environment but also fund cancer treatment and empower vulnerable populations.The efforts have gained traction, creating jobs and offering new hope in areas affected by war and economic downturn.Key quote:"I felt it was my calling to clean the beaches and the city. I pursued that."— Mustafa Balhaj, retired teacherWhy this matters:In a country fragmented by conflict, these recycling projects are a silver lining, improving health outcomes and community well-being. Beyond environmental impact, they demonstrate how grassroots movements can fill gaps left by governmental instability, offering lessons in resilience and community care.Lost fishing nets, plastic twine, plastic packaging, balloon string, plastic chairs - all this trash is rising in our oceans.

Managing ‘Brown Gold:’ the Challenges—and Opportunities—of Spent Substrate

A version of this article originally appeared in The Deep Dish, our members-only newsletter. Become a member today and get the next issue directly in your inbox. The lumpy blocks are spent substrate, the living material left over after growing  mushrooms. Composed of sawdust and soy pellets woven through with mycelium—the thread-like aspect of the fungus from which mushrooms sprout—spent […] The post Managing ‘Brown Gold:’ the Challenges—and Opportunities—of Spent Substrate appeared first on Civil Eats.

A version of this article originally appeared in The Deep Dish, our members-only newsletter. Become a member today and get the next issue directly in your inbox. Collar City Mushrooms occupies a small building along the post-industrial waterfront of Troy, New York. Out back, baking in the winter sun between a shed and a yellow Volkswagen bus, sits a waist-high heap of what looks like dozens of giant Frosted Mini-Wheats, each roughly the size of a cinder block. The weathered caps of oyster mushrooms sprout defiantly from various points in the pile. The lumpy blocks are spent substrate, the living material left over after growing  mushrooms. Composed of sawdust and soy pellets woven through with mycelium—the thread-like aspect of the fungus from which mushrooms sprout—spent substrate is a unique kind of waste. It’s also one with many potential uses; it can be used as compost, as a means of decontaminating soil, as biofuel, and simply for growing more mushrooms. And while each of those uses could provide revenue potential for mushroom farms, the expanding piles of spent substrate also represent a mounting logistical challenge. “If you’re gonna do it, awesome, but account for this waste stream you’re producing and how you’re gonna get it off of your property.” “Right now, we have people picking it up almost as a favor for us, because otherwise what are we doing with it?” said Avery Stempel, Collar City’s co-founder, as we gazed upon the pile. Stempel currently takes most of the material to a nearby compost facility, but local farms, gardeners, and florists also take a portion. So do individuals, whether for compost in their gardens or just to grow mushrooms at home. “People will come and buy a bucket for five bucks,” Stempel said. Before it’s put to work growing mushrooms, substrate is carefully mixed and sterilized to maximize efficiency and prevent competition for the fungus. Protected inside breathable plastic bags, the sawdust and soy hulls are inoculated with an edible mushroom strain, then stacked on racks in climate-controlled rooms. The bags are sliced open when the mycelium is ready, and out sprouts the first “flush” of mushrooms. To make the best use of space, many farms will dispose of the blocks after a single flush, but each block is capable of several rounds of mushroom production. In this sense, the substrate isn’t really “spent.” Spent substrate waiting to be collected and reused. (Photo courtesy of Central Texas Mycological Society) Collar City is a relatively small operation, producing up to 1,000 pounds of mushrooms a week. An hour south, in Hillsdale, New York, Tivoli Mushrooms produces around 20,000 pounds per week, and it’s currently only using half the capacity of its new 15,000-square-foot facility. Soon after moving in, Co-founder Devon Gilroy reached out to a neighboring organic farm, offering the spent substrate for free as compost if they would simply take it off his hands. It wasn’t a tough sell. “They showed up like two weeks later with a tractor and a big truck to load it in,” he said. “They insisted on paying us for the substrate, which really helped.” More Mushrooms, More Problems From a revenue perspective, specialty mushroom substrate’s greatest value is currently as compost, which can sell for around $150 per cubic yard. It has a low pH level, useful in soils with low acidity, and a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of roughly 40 to 1, which is close to ideal for building healthy soil. Spent substrate is also a useful addition to vermicompost—worms love to eat mycelium, and in doing, so they also break down woody debris and support soil biodiversity. It is also an excellent addition for  structure and water retention. But that doesn’t mean every mushroom farm has an easy time finding a second life for its spent substrate, and the quandary of how to make use of the material is growing along with the scale of the specialty mushroom industry. “If you’re gonna do it, awesome, but account for this waste stream you’re producing and how you’re gonna get it off of your property.” That’s the advice Amanda Janney, founder of KM Mushrooms in California, offers new farmers. Janney’s farm is about as modest as they come, operating out of her home in Santa Rosa. As the farm’s output quickly grew, from 20 pounds of mushrooms a week to around 300, the leftover material quickly became a logistical problem to be solved. “In the beginning when we were doing really low volume, it was not much of a consideration; giving bags of spent substrate out via Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace was sufficient,” said Janney. “Then production increased a lot faster than I had planned on, which is a great thing, but a big piece of it became connecting with farmers that were interested in [taking substrate] and getting a workflow to move it off the property quickly.” In 2022, driven in large part by consumer interest in meat alternatives, global revenues for mushrooms were predicted to more than double to over $110 billion by 2030. The nutraceutical market for medicinal mushrooms—such as reishi, lion’s mane, and cordyceps—may follow a similar trajectory, with one forecast suggesting the market could triple to reach $62 billion by 2032. The vast majority—95 percent—of the mushroom production in the U.S. is in Agaricus: the common cremini, button, or portobello (all the same species). Every other variety, be it shiitake or oyster, falls in the specialty mushroom category. In the U.S., Agaricus mushrooms are produced in vast quantities by well-established farms, often generations old and mostly located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Grown in a combination of manure and straw, they produce a distinct kind of spent substrate that is also used as compost, though it is a very different material from specialty mushroom substrate, with fewer applications. To farm button mushrooms cost-effectively is very labor- and space-intensive, and to take up producing them at small scales doesn’t make a lot of economic sense. “It’s a huge opportunity on a spreadsheet, but on the operational side, it’s like, ‘Get this stuff out of here right now.’” By comparison, it is relatively easy to grow enough oyster mushrooms to sell at market for more than $10 per pound, compared to around $5 per pound for button mushrooms. It’s also easy to buy a few ready-to-grow kits for home growers. For these and other reasons, specialty mushrooms are what most small and emerging farms are likely to grow. Sales of specialty mushrooms increased 32 percent between 2021 and 2022 alone, which means an equivalent increase in spent substrate, and more questions about what to do with it. On the extreme end of substrate volume are the emerging mycelium materials companies, like MycoWorks and Ecovative. [Disclosure: The author worked for Ecovative in 2022 and 2023.] Based on oyster mushroom mycelium, Ecovative ships most of its substrate off as compost, and the possible uses it is exploring include selling part of the enormous output of leftover substrate to farms in Pennsylvania for a second act producing mushrooms. There’s a limit to that market, though: “To be frank, you couldn’t possibly eat enough oyster mushrooms in the U.S. to use all the substrate we’re going to make if we meet our goal,” said Ecovative CEO Eben Bayer. “It’s a huge opportunity on a spreadsheet, but on the operational side, it’s like, ‘Get this stuff out of here right now.’” A Community Solution to Substrate Waste Emerges in Texas Rather than relying solely on the market, the question of what to do with substrate is largely being answered by communities local to the specialty mushroom farms. In Austin, for instance, the Central Texas Mycological Society (CTMS) has organized a network of about two dozen locations for free spent substrate pickup. They report that some 9,000 people have signed up since the program started three years ago, with a surge during the pandemic, when interest in homegrown mushrooms took off dramatically. “With spent mushroom substrate, we saw this opportunity to keep people connected,” said Angel Schatz, a lead organizer of the CTMS, whose front yard was the original drop-off point for the program. What people do with the material, though, is their own business. “I know a lot of people are growing the mushrooms, getting a second flush out of the bags, but we don’t want to steal the thunder from the commercial farms in any way, so we start first with teaching people the composting methods.” Photo courtesy of Central Texas Mycological Society Until recently, a significant amount of spent substrate for the CTMS pickup program came from Smallhold, which quickly became a prominent specialty mushroom grower over the last five years, before declaring bankruptcy in early February. With facilities in Los Angeles, Austin, and New York, the company’s objective was to grow specialty mushrooms near major cities. Each of its three large farms generated about 80 to 100 cubic yards of spent substrate per week, and the company employed a team dedicated to finding productive uses for the material. “At the end of the day, this is a valuable material,” said Travis Breihan, who was the company’s impact manager in charge of researching uses for spent substrate. “But it is a new material on the scene, and it’s not like there was an established industry of people second-flushing blocks, or using it as a garden amendment, or even a larger-scale farm amendment. So, I think it’s early in the world of adoption, but all signs are very strong that it’s a great area of focus for the mushroom industry overall.” CTMS isn’t concerned about losing the Smallhold  substrate. “We still work with another farm that produces around 1,900 spent substrate blocks a week, and they will probably grow now because Smallhold won’t be here. Meanwhile, besides giving away blocks, CTMS is working with local farms, food producers, and environmental remediation projects that utilize the material for cleanup of contaminated sites, such as the Circle Acres nature preserve on the edge of Austin. Given the limitations that scale creates for transporting and productively using spent substrate, any future market for the material may indeed be shaped most by smaller operations. Specialty mushrooms lend themselves to this dynamic. They don’t ship well over long distances, and can run on the waste streams—such as sawdust—of nearby industries. It can take many different shapes and, crucially, sizes. As the specialty mushroom industry grows, spent substrate may find a market for secondary mushroom production, or for building and remediating soil and waterways. The potential of the material may best be realized in connecting mushroom production with other food- and soil-based initiatives, and in  supporting more circular, regional economies. “The least we can do is make sure the cycle is complete, and put it back into the soil rather than a dump site,” said Schatz. The post Managing ‘Brown Gold:’ the Challenges—and Opportunities—of Spent Substrate appeared first on Civil Eats.

Firms That Once Called Themselves “Sustainable” Are Now “Greenhushing”

This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. For years, eagle-eyed environmentalists have called out banks and consumer businesses—from Barclays to fashion brand ASOS—for making misleading claims that their practices or products are sustainable, otherwise known as greenwashing.  However, lately there has been an uptick in “greenhushing,” a […]

This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. For years, eagle-eyed environmentalists have called out banks and consumer businesses—from Barclays to fashion brand ASOS—for making misleading claims that their practices or products are sustainable, otherwise known as greenwashing.  However, lately there has been an uptick in “greenhushing,” a seemingly counterintuitive practice in which companies intentionally don’t publicize their climate-friendly actions and goals.  For example, investment firm BlackRock has removed several references to its commitment of helping reach net zero emissions by 2050 from its website, though its CEO said the firm would continue to discuss climate issues with the companies it invests in, reports the Washington Post. Consumer goods companies, including those that sell food and beverages or clothes, are also hopping on the “greenhushing” bandwagon, despite taking steps toward sustainability, reports Grist.  “If you’re a CEO who has all the right intentions, you might get sued from both sides—from the left and from the right.” At the same time, public demand for environmentally friendly goods and services has surged in the past few years as the fight against climate change has ramped up. So what’s behind this paradox? Experts say there could be a few factors at play.  In the past few years, liberal activists and organizations have sued companies for rampant greenwashing campaigns, including H&M, Nike, Allbirds shoes and apparel company Canada Goose. Though many of these companies won their suits, they still suffered copious amounts of bad PR.  On the other side of the aisle, right-wing politicians and thought leaders are speaking out against “woke” eco-campaigns and business decisions made with climate change in mind, reports the Post.  “If you’re a CEO who has all the right intentions, you might get sued from both sides—from the left and from the right,” Renat Heuberger, the co-founder and CEO of South Pole, a climate consultancy that released a survey on greenhushing trends, told the Post. “And that is not good news if you want to convince more CEOs to get active on climate.” In the face of this criticism, some companies have simply stopped publicly speaking about the steps they are taking to curb emissions or reduce their environmental footprints, according to South Pole’s report.  On Monday, Uber launched a new feature that gives riders insight into how many emissions they could avoid by choosing electric vehicle or hybrid options, Axios reports. This is part of a growing trend in the consumer space; just this week, I was searching for a flight on Skyscanner and the app offered information about which options emit the lowest amount of CO2.  Even though these features are increasingly available, do people actually use them when making their final purchase? I asked Xavier Font, a professor of sustainability marketing at University of Surrey who advises companies like Booking, Google, Expedia and Skyscanner.  “The labeling of products as sustainable raises skepticism,” and “raises perceptions of potential greenwashing.” “At the moment, nobody has done a study—including the companies themselves—that is publicly available that says, ‘does this have an impact or not?’” he told me over the phone. “The thing is, we don’t really know what difference they make. And when companies like these go to great lengths to create a system, I think we could do better testing.” In a similar vein, research shows that consumers’ behaviors when presented with “eco-friendly” products can be mixed. In a 2022 survey, 78 percent of US consumers responded that a sustainable lifestyle is important to them and 30 percent of them would be more likely to buy products with sustainable advertising.  However, some experiments show that the opposite can happen, as well. For example, in a 2020 study, researchers asked more than 250 Americans their thoughts on two ads for laundry detergent: one with a label stating that it is sustainable, and another without this language. In this case, the majority of participants perceived the more sustainable product to be less effective, without even trying it.  “The labeling of products as sustainable raises skepticism, raises perceptions of information overload [and] raises perceptions of potential greenwashing,” Font says.  To combat this, companies can tap into social influence to get people to buy with sustainability in mind, or focus on other positive attributes of the product, such as innovation and safety, writes Katherine White, a sustainable business researcher at University of British Columbia, and co-authors in the Harvard Business Review.  Overall, there are some risks to greenhushing. As banks and consumer retailers downplay or eliminate their public sustainability pledges, progress can become harder to track, some experts say.  “We really, really, really need a lot more disclosure of all the environmental actions that companies are taking, and we need it to be disclosed regularly and transparently, and we need it to be disclosed quantitatively,” Austin Whitman, the CEO of Climate Neutral, a nonprofit that monitors climate pledges, told Grist.  

Op-ed: Untangling the causes of obesity

As researchers look for the reasons to explain the global rise in obesity, one thing has become clear — chemicals in our food, packaging, personal care items and other products are playing a key role. Obesity is linked to a variety of preventable health effects, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even certain types of cancer. Despite the focus on treating obesity with diet and exercise, drugs and bariatric surgery, obesity is still increasing at alarming rates worldwide, especially in children. Evidence is mounting that certain chemicals called obesogens — which include everything from sugar to known bad actor chemicals like bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, flame retardants — can cause the human (and animal) body to produce more fat than it normally would. Many obesogens do this by impacting the proper functioning of our hormones, which means they can alter metabolism and promote increased storage of calories. Because of this, obesogens can increase weight gain even if we don’t eat more. In our new analysis, we examine the different models researchers use in studying obesity. We found that exposure to obesogens can result in changes in metabolism leading to weight gain that is consistent with the other models. We proposed an integrated model that puts exposure to obesogens as a key cause of obesity. A new approach is needed — one focusing on prevention. How scientists study obesity  We compared four models that explain obesity development. The first model is the “calories in - calories out” idea: you gain weight if you eat more calories than you expend. It also says that something in the environment has changed over the last 50 or so years, unconsciously altering the brain, leading to increased food consumption and increased weight. The environmental change is not defined but researchers suspect ultra-processed foods are the culprit. The second model states that sugar is the culprit – specifically, high glycemic index carbohydrates that stimulate insulin. The increased insulin stimulates fat storage and increases how much we eat. Since the Western diet is high in sugar and ultra-processed foods, both of these models explain at least some of the current obesity epidemic. The third model — the obesogen model — states that obesogens alter metabolism. Most chemicals disrupt hormonal signaling pathways in various tissues that control energy intake, nutrient handling and body weight. Everyone is born pre-polluted with obesogens and exposure continues throughout life. Exposure to these obesogens at any time can increase weight gain but when it’s early in life (in utero and early childhood), it disrupts the normal development of fatty tissue, liver, gastrointestinal tract, brain and tissues regulating metabolism. These permanent changes can lead to obesity later in life, making it easier to gain weight and more challenging to lose it and to keep the weight off. The fourth model states that tissues have metabolism sensors that detect when there is sufficient fuel and produce small amounts of reactive oxygen species that tell the pancreas to release more insulin and fat tissue to make more fat. Both obesogens and ultra-processed foods stimulate these reactive oxygen species inappropriately in large amounts, which causes overeating. Obesogens are the common thread Obesogens are a unifying and key part of the obesity models, affecting all known key activities associated with both the first and second models.Regarding the “calories in - calories out” model, the changes that cause unconscious altered brain control of appetite can come from ultra-processed foods and obesogens (which also stimulate reactive oxygen species). Concerning the “sugar is the culprit” model, both obesogens and reactive oxygen species stimulate insulin, increasing fat storage. In the future, there should be less focus on individual models and more emphasis on a comprehensive model that includes obesogens and reactive oxygen species as essential contributors to obesity.How we can reduce obesogen exposure The good news is that we know many obesogens by name, chemicals that come from fossil fuels and plastics (BPA, phthalates, PFAS), flame retardants and some food additives, emulsifiers and colorants found in ultra-processed food. We also know where their exposures come from and how many act to increase weight gain. Decreasing human exposure to obesogens, particularly early in life, will prevent obesity. Personal changes can help, like filtering drinking water and using organic household products, cleaners and pesticides, and eliminating plastics, canned food and ultra-processed food.However, it is unrealistic to expect consumers or clinicians to prevent obesity alone. Instead, policymakers and regulators need to develop public health policies that will regulate and remove these harmful chemicals from products.Want to learn more? EHN’s guide to Obesogens: Chemicals that cause weight gain.Publication: Obesogens: a unifying theory for the global rise in obesity. Heindel JJ, Lustig RH, Howard S, Corkey BE. Int J Obes (Lond). 2024 Jan 11. doi: 10.1038/s41366-024-01460-3. Open access.Video: Are we there yet? Unifying model of obesity, by Nicholas Norwitz, about this paper.Webinar March 19, featuring Dr. Heindel: Obesogens: A unifying theory for the global rise in obesity. The webinar will be recorded and available at that link.Dr. Heindel coordinated three major review articles on obesogens published in 2022 in the journal Biomedical Pharmacology.

As researchers look for the reasons to explain the global rise in obesity, one thing has become clear — chemicals in our food, packaging, personal care items and other products are playing a key role. Obesity is linked to a variety of preventable health effects, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even certain types of cancer. Despite the focus on treating obesity with diet and exercise, drugs and bariatric surgery, obesity is still increasing at alarming rates worldwide, especially in children. Evidence is mounting that certain chemicals called obesogens — which include everything from sugar to known bad actor chemicals like bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, flame retardants — can cause the human (and animal) body to produce more fat than it normally would. Many obesogens do this by impacting the proper functioning of our hormones, which means they can alter metabolism and promote increased storage of calories. Because of this, obesogens can increase weight gain even if we don’t eat more. In our new analysis, we examine the different models researchers use in studying obesity. We found that exposure to obesogens can result in changes in metabolism leading to weight gain that is consistent with the other models. We proposed an integrated model that puts exposure to obesogens as a key cause of obesity. A new approach is needed — one focusing on prevention. How scientists study obesity  We compared four models that explain obesity development. The first model is the “calories in - calories out” idea: you gain weight if you eat more calories than you expend. It also says that something in the environment has changed over the last 50 or so years, unconsciously altering the brain, leading to increased food consumption and increased weight. The environmental change is not defined but researchers suspect ultra-processed foods are the culprit. The second model states that sugar is the culprit – specifically, high glycemic index carbohydrates that stimulate insulin. The increased insulin stimulates fat storage and increases how much we eat. Since the Western diet is high in sugar and ultra-processed foods, both of these models explain at least some of the current obesity epidemic. The third model — the obesogen model — states that obesogens alter metabolism. Most chemicals disrupt hormonal signaling pathways in various tissues that control energy intake, nutrient handling and body weight. Everyone is born pre-polluted with obesogens and exposure continues throughout life. Exposure to these obesogens at any time can increase weight gain but when it’s early in life (in utero and early childhood), it disrupts the normal development of fatty tissue, liver, gastrointestinal tract, brain and tissues regulating metabolism. These permanent changes can lead to obesity later in life, making it easier to gain weight and more challenging to lose it and to keep the weight off. The fourth model states that tissues have metabolism sensors that detect when there is sufficient fuel and produce small amounts of reactive oxygen species that tell the pancreas to release more insulin and fat tissue to make more fat. Both obesogens and ultra-processed foods stimulate these reactive oxygen species inappropriately in large amounts, which causes overeating. Obesogens are the common thread Obesogens are a unifying and key part of the obesity models, affecting all known key activities associated with both the first and second models.Regarding the “calories in - calories out” model, the changes that cause unconscious altered brain control of appetite can come from ultra-processed foods and obesogens (which also stimulate reactive oxygen species). Concerning the “sugar is the culprit” model, both obesogens and reactive oxygen species stimulate insulin, increasing fat storage. In the future, there should be less focus on individual models and more emphasis on a comprehensive model that includes obesogens and reactive oxygen species as essential contributors to obesity.How we can reduce obesogen exposure The good news is that we know many obesogens by name, chemicals that come from fossil fuels and plastics (BPA, phthalates, PFAS), flame retardants and some food additives, emulsifiers and colorants found in ultra-processed food. We also know where their exposures come from and how many act to increase weight gain. Decreasing human exposure to obesogens, particularly early in life, will prevent obesity. Personal changes can help, like filtering drinking water and using organic household products, cleaners and pesticides, and eliminating plastics, canned food and ultra-processed food.However, it is unrealistic to expect consumers or clinicians to prevent obesity alone. Instead, policymakers and regulators need to develop public health policies that will regulate and remove these harmful chemicals from products.Want to learn more? EHN’s guide to Obesogens: Chemicals that cause weight gain.Publication: Obesogens: a unifying theory for the global rise in obesity. Heindel JJ, Lustig RH, Howard S, Corkey BE. Int J Obes (Lond). 2024 Jan 11. doi: 10.1038/s41366-024-01460-3. Open access.Video: Are we there yet? Unifying model of obesity, by Nicholas Norwitz, about this paper.Webinar March 19, featuring Dr. Heindel: Obesogens: A unifying theory for the global rise in obesity. The webinar will be recorded and available at that link.Dr. Heindel coordinated three major review articles on obesogens published in 2022 in the journal Biomedical Pharmacology.

Innovative Science Experiments Aboard NASA’s SpaceX 30th Resupply Mission to the ISS

NASA and the agency’s international partners are sending scientific investigations to the International Space Station on the 30th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission, including tests...

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, on the company’s 29th commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 8:28 p.m. EST. Credit: SpaceXNASA and the agency’s international partners are sending scientific investigations to the International Space Station on the 30th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission, including tests of technologies to monitor sea ice, automate 3D mapping, and create nanoparticle solar cells. The company’s Dragon cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 4:55 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 21.VIDEORead more about some of the research making the journey to the orbiting laboratory: Plants off the PlanetPlants can be used in regenerative life support systems, to provide food, and to contribute to the well-being of astronauts on future deep space exploration missions. C4 Photosynthesis in Space (APEX-09) examines how microgravity affects the mechanisms by which two types of grasses, known as C3 and C4, capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.“Plants respond to stressful conditions based on their genetic makeup and the environment,” said Pubudu Handakumbura, principal investigator with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. “We aim to uncover the molecular changes involved in plants exposed to spaceflight stressors and develop an understanding of the mechanisms of photosynthesis in space.” Results could clarify plant responses to stressful environments and inform the design of bio-regenerative support systems on future missions, as well as systems for plant growth on Earth.Brachypodium and Setaria were grown in the Plant Growth Systems (PGS) and tested under International Space Station environmental conditions using the Veggie units at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center during the APEX-09 Experiment Verification Test. Credit: Pubudu HandakumburaSensing the SeaThe ocean significantly affects the global climate. A technique called Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry (GNSS-R), which receives satellite signals reflected from the surface of Earth, shows promise as a way to monitor ocean phenomena and improve climate models. Killick-1: A GNSS Reflectometry CubeSat for Measuring Sea Ice Thickness and Extent (Nanoracks KILLICK-1) tests using this technique to measure sea ice. The project supports development of space and science capabilities in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, by providing hands-on experience with space systems and Earth observation. More than 100 undergraduate and graduate engineering students participated in the project.“The most exciting aspect of this project is that students have the opportunity to launch a mission into space,” said Desmond Power, a co-investigator with C-CORE of Canada. “It is also exciting to build a tiny satellite that does different things, including contributing to our knowledge of climate change.”GNSS-R technology is low-cost, light, and energy efficient. Its potential applications on Earth include providing data for weather and climate models and improving the understanding of ocean phenomena such as surface winds and storm surge.Fully assembled Nanoracks-Killick-1 CubeSat with its Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) antenna deployed. Nanoracks-Killick-1 measures sea ice using GNSS-R. Potential applications of GNSS-R include providing data for weather and climate models and improving understanding of ocean phenomena such as surface winds and storm surge. Credit: C-CORE and Memorial University.Automated Autonomous AssistanceThe Multi-resolution Scanner (MRS) Payload for Astrobee (Multi-Resolution Scanning) tests technology to automate 3D sensing, mapping, and situational awareness systems.“Our MRS on an Astrobee free-flying robot will create 3D maps inside the space station,” said Marc Elmouttie, project lead with Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, which developed the technology with The Boeing Company. “The scanner integrates technologies developed by our mining and robotics teams. By combining data from multiple sensors, we compensate for weaknesses in any one system. This provides very high-resolution 3D data and more accurate trajectory data to help us understand how the robot moves around in space.”“The technology could be used to autonomously operate spacecraft with minimal or no human occupancy where robots must sense the environment and precisely maneuver, including the lunar Gateway space station,” said Principal Investigator Connie Miller of Boeing. “Other uses could be to inspect and maintain spacecraft and for autonomous vehicle operations on other celestial bodies. Results also support improvements in robotic technologies for harsh and dangerous environments on Earth.”CSIRO Project Lead Marc Elmouttie with the MRS hardware and Astrobee robot ready for final pre-flight testing. Credit: NASAPlacement of ParticlesThe Nano Particle Haloing Suspension investigation examines how nanoparticles and microparticles interact within an electrical field. A process called nanoparticle haloing uses charged nanoparticles to enable precise particle arrangements that improve the efficiency of quantum-dot synthesized solar cells, according to Stuart J. Williams, principal investigator with the University of Louisville Department of Mechanical Engineering.Quantum dots are tiny spheres of semiconductor material with the potential to convert sunlight into energy much more efficiently. Conducting these processes in microgravity provides insight into the relationship between shape, charge, concentration, and interaction of particles.The investigation is supported by NASA’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), which partners with government, higher education, and industry on projects to improve research infrastructure and research and development capacity and competitiveness.A capstone student assembles the microscope and fluid breadboard for the Nano Particle Haloing Suspension payload. This payload tests controlled assembly of nanoparticles in a solution of zirconia and titanium-dioxide coated silica. Effective demonstration could lead to applications in an enhanced solar cell generation technology known as quantum-dot solar synthesis. Credit: University of Louisville

The government wants to fast-track approvals of large infrastructure projects – that’s bad news for NZ’s biodiversity

New Zealand’s plants and animals are globally unique and underpin primary production and tourism. The government’s fast-tracking proposal threatens to erode the natural capital the economy relies on.

Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to be of national or regional significance. The Fast-track Approvals Bill, introduced under urgency on March 7, would take precedence over several current environmental laws and give ministers the power to skirt existing approval processes. Leaders of ten scientific societies that conduct biodiversity research in Aotearoa New Zealand, representing thousands of members (ourselves included), have called on the government to slow down the pace of reform. They warn that decision-making criteria are weighted towards development, not environmental protection or sustainable resource use, and undermine New Zealand’s obligations to protect the country’s unique and threatened biodiversity. New Zealand’s economy relies on the environment in many ways. One study estimated New Zealand’s land-based ecosystem services contributed NZ$57 billion to human welfare in 2012 (27% of the country’s GDP). This includes services such as crop pollination by insects, erosion control by plants and flood regulation by wetlands. The fast-track bill requires expert panels to provide recommendations to the relevant ministers within six months of a project being referred to them. This time frame is wholly unsuitable to making proper assessments of environmental impacts, including those on plants and animals, as surveys will likely be conducted at inappropriate times of the year. No time for on-site ecological assessments A key requirement of assessing impacts on biodiversity is to undertake new ecological surveys of the project site and surrounds. Such surveys identify the threatened species and ecosystems found on the site, catalogue where they are found and estimate their population numbers. This information is then used to determine how those species and ecosystems could be affected, and whether the project could be modified to avoid or mitigate these impacts. There are currently no directions in the bill for the expert panel to commission new ecological surveys. However, even if panels could do this, the six-month time frame precludes robust ecological surveys. Read more: Without a better plan, New Zealand risks sleepwalking into a biodiversity extinction crisis Thorough ecological assessments involve conducting surveys at multiple times throughout the year because certain species will only be present during particular seasons. For instance, reptiles, frogs, invertebrates and migratory species of birds are usually only detectable during warmer times of the year. Surveys for them during winter are unlikely to find these species. Even certain plants, such as orchids that can lie dormant underground as a tuber, have life cycles that make them difficult to detect. Many grasses are best identified when they are in flower. In many cases, restricting consenting to just six months means expert panels would have to make their assessments based only on existing ecological information. This is known as a “desktop assessment”. While a useful first step, these are not a replacement for on-the-ground surveys. This is particularly the case in New Zealand, where we have limited data on many species and for many parts of the country. For example, we don’t have sufficient data on most of New Zealand’s reptiles. Evidence-based decisions are critical Apart from the proposed fast-tracking of resource consents, the government has already repealed the Natural and Built Environment Act and the Spatial Planning Act. Both were enacted only last year as part of a new resource management regime. The government also plans to replace the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, which provides direction to local authorities on how to manage activities that affect the health of lakes and rivers. None of the recent and proposed changes to environmental legislation are responsive to the dual biodiversity and climate crises. They are also inconsistent with the government’s own stated goal of evidence-based decision making. Read more: Restoring ecosystems to boost biodiversity is an urgent priority – our ‘Eco-index’ can guide the way New Zealand’s plants, animals, fungi and ecosystems are globally unique. They underpin key economic sectors, especially primary production and tourism. But they are also threatened with extinction. More than 75% of New Zealand’s native species of reptile, bird, bat and freshwater fish are either threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened. New Zealand has international obligations to conserve biodiversity under the Convention on Biological Diversity, which was signed in 1993. In 2022, New Zealand joined almost 200 member nations in adopting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which commits countries to protect 30% of land and ocean globally by 2030. Read more: Despite its green image, NZ has world's highest proportion of species at risk Much of New Zealand’s most at-risk indigenous biodiversity is found on private land and may be subject to detrimental impacts from land use and development pressures. The fast-tracking agenda threatens to undermine New Zealand’s progress on biodiversity protection and other key environmental issues. It erodes rather than sustains the natural capital on which the economy depends. New Zealand’s scientific societies are urging the coalition government to allow adequate time for appropriate parliamentary select committee processes and thorough public consultation on the bill. They call for a comprehensive legislative and policy framework, centred on the protection of environmental values and sustainable resource management, to ensure development occurs in ways that don’t further degrade natural capital. The authors thank Dr Fleur Maseyk for her comments and discussions on this piece. Tim Curran receives funding from the New Zealand Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Fire and Emergency New Zealand, the Hellaby Grasslands Trust, Marlborough District Council, Brian Mason Scientific and Technical Trust, and the Lincoln University Argyle Trust. Tim is the Submissions Coordinator and a past President of the New Zealand Ecological Society, and coordinated and helped draft the open letter to the government referred to in this article.Jo Monks receives funding from the New Zealand Department of Conservation and Auckland Zoological Park. She is Vice President of the New Zealand Ecological Society and a council member of the Society for Research on Amphibians and Reptiles in New Zealand. Jo is a previous employee of the New Zealand Department of Conservation. Jo signed the open letter to government referred to in this article on behalf of the New Zealand Ecological Society.

All but 7 Countries on Earth Have Air Pollution Above WHO Standard

New research found that fewer than 10 percent of countries and territories met World Health Organization guidelines for particulate matter pollution last year.

Only 10 countries and territories out of 134 achieved the World Health Organization’s standards for a pervasive form of air pollution last year, according to air quality data compiled by IQAir, a Swiss company.The pollution studied is called fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, because it refers to solid particles less than 2.5 micrometers in size: small enough to enter the bloodstream. PM2.5 is the deadliest form of air pollution, leading to millions of premature deaths each year.“Air pollution and climate change both have the same culprit, which is fossil fuels,” said Glory Dolphin Hammes, the CEO of IQAir’s North American division.The World Health Organization sets a guideline that people shouldn’t breathe more than 5 micrograms of fine particulate matter per cubic meter of air, on average, throughout a year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed tightening its standard from 12 to 9 micrograms per cubic meter.The few oases of clean air that meet World Health Organization guidelines are mostly islands, as well as Australia and the northern European countries of Finland and Estonia. Of the non-achievers, where the vast majority of the human population lives, the countries with the worst air quality were mostly in Asia and Africa.Where some of the dirtiest air is foundThe four most polluted countries in IQAir’s ranking for 2023 — Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Tajikistan — are in South and Central Asia.Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.

Scientists Develop Groundbreaking Sensor That Can Wirelessly Detect Chemical Warfare Agents

Researchers have developed a revolutionary sensor capable of detecting chemical warfare agents without wires, representing a major advancement in technology for public safety.This innovative device,...

A breakthrough sensor using SAW technology provides wireless, highly sensitive detection of chemical warfare agents, marking a major advancement in safety technology by allowing for efficient and reliable monitoring in challenging environments. (Artist’s concept). Credit: SciTechDaily.comResearchers have developed a revolutionary sensor capable of detecting chemical warfare agents without wires, representing a major advancement in technology for public safety.This innovative device, capable of identifying substances like dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), offers a new level of efficiency and reliability in monitoring and responding to chemical threats, without the need for direct power sources or physical connections.The urgent need for advanced detection of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) to ensure global security has led to the development of a novel gas sensor. This sensor is distinguished by its rapid response, high sensitivity, and compact size, crucial for the early detection of CWAs. Accurate detection and monitoring of CWAs are vital for effective defense operations, both military and civilian. Due to the hazardous nature of CWAs, research is typically limited to authorized laboratories using simulants that mimic CWAs’ chemical structure without their toxic effects.Research Findings and Sensor CapabilitiesA recent study led by a team of experts, published on January 3, 2024, in the journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering, have developed a cutting-edge sensor that wirelessly identifies chemical warfare agents, revolutionizing safety measures. This device efficiently detects DMMP, enhancing threat response capabilities without relying on power sources or connections. In the study, researchers have innovated a passive, wireless sensor system using surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology, set to revolutionize chemical warfare agent detection by specifically targeting dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), a simulant for nerve agents. This sensor operates at 433 MHz, using a unique coating of fluoroalcohol polysiloxane (SXFA) on a lithium niobate substrate, enhancing its sensitivity and stability under various environmental conditions.Schematic and working principle of the proposed SAW chemical sensor. Credit: Microsystems & NanoengineeringThe system’s core is built around a YZ lithium niobate substrate equipped with metallic interdigital transducers (IDTs) and an attached antenna. The SXFA film’s interaction with DMMP alters the SAW’s properties, such as velocity, enabling precise detection. This design ensures stable operation within a 0-90 cm transmission range and is resilient across a wide temperature range (-30 °C to 100 °C) and humidity levels up to 60% RH.According to the research team, this sensor system marks a significant leap forward in CWA detection technology. Its passive wireless nature allows operation in inaccessible or hazardous areas, ensuring safety and efficiency.This technology has immense potential in military and civilian defense, offering a reliable, efficient means of early CWA detection. Its ability to operate wirelessly and in challenging environments makes it a valuable tool for ensuring public safety and preparedness against chemical threats.Reference: “A passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor system for detecting warfare agents based on fluoroalcohol polysiloxane film” by Yong Pan, Cancan Yan, Xu Gao, Junchao Yang, Tengxiao Guo, Lin Zhang and Wen Wang, 3 January 2024, Microsystems & Nanoengineering.DOI: 10.1038/s41378-023-00627-8

Ancient Footsteps Uncovered: Scientists Discover Evidence of Human Activity on This Small Caribbean Island 850 Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

New research establishes that humans occupied Curaçao between 5735 and 5600 calibrated years before present (cal BP). This finding suggests that the island was inhabited...

New findings by researchers from Simon Fraser University and the NAAM Foundation reveal that Curaçao was settled by humans up to 850 years earlier than previously believed, offering new insights into Caribbean pre-Columbian history and emphasizing the importance of archaeological fieldwork and community engagement. The image above depicts a rusty shipwreck on the island.New research establishes that humans occupied Curaçao between 5735 and 5600 calibrated years before present (cal BP). This finding suggests that the island was inhabited up to 850 years earlier than earlier estimates had indicated.New research co-led by Simon Fraser University and the National Archaeological Anthropological Memory Management (NAAM Foundation) in Curaçao has pushed back the date of the island’s earliest known human habitation by several hundred years, contributing new insights into the history of the Caribbean before the arrival of Columbus.A team of international partners has been collaborating on the Curaçao Cultural Landscape Project since 2018 to understand the long-term biodiversity change of the island, and its relationship to human activity. Findings from the team, published in the Journal of Coastal and Island Archaeology, place the human occupation of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean, as far back as 5735 – 5600 cal BP — up to 850 years earlier than previously thought.This updated timeline was determined by radiocarbon dating charcoal collected from an Archaic period site at Saliña Sint Marie — what is now the earliest known archaeological site on the island — using accelerated mass spectrometry.Insights into Caribbean SettlementChristina Giovas, an associate professor in SFU’s Department of Archaeology and co-lead on the study, explains that the settlement of the Caribbean and the origin of its peoples is still highly debated. “What this new information does is push the initial exploration in this region back to a time where other islands to the north of Curaçao are also being settled. This suggests that the movement of people from the continental mainland into those more northern islands might have entangled with some of the movement of the people into Curaçao,” says Giovas.While more work is needed to determine if this is the case, Giovas notes that this indicates that the exploration of the islands off the western Venezuelan coast began earlier than previously known and provides a baseline for studying human-environment interactions in the area. According to NAAM Deputy Director, Claudia Kraan, who also led the study, the finding demonstrates to the local public that further research can unveil new insights into the people who once inhabited the island. She notes, “Archaeological information is dynamic, continually evolving with ongoing exploration and analysis.”Educational and Community EngagementThe team traveled to Curaçao in the summer of 2022 for their first field season, bringing with them a cohort of SFU archaeology undergraduate students as part of a five-week international field school. Students helped survey, map, and excavate project sites throughout the island, then presented their findings to the local community. Throughout these activities, they worked closely with local volunteers and the project’s Curaçaoan partner, the NAAM Foundation, an NGO that manages the island’s archaeological heritage through collaboration with government and stakeholders.“For archaeology, practical hands-on learning is really the best way to understand the field,” says Giovas. “I really wanted students to get skills in what’s called ‘environmental archaeology’ — techniques and methods that are used to ask questions about human relationships with the environment, in the past and through time. It’s also increasingly about what we can take from the data that we gather from those sorts of investigations and apply to modern-day conservation, and environmental awareness.”The project also works to increase local capacity for archaeology on the island, create opportunities for knowledge mobilization, and bring awareness to the depth of history of the area.“To have students involved in these initiatives is, I think, where you get these generational shifts in the culture of the discipline,” says Giovas.The team plans to return to Curaçao again in 2025 as part of another SFU international field school to dive deeper into how humans have transformed the island throughout time, and the lessons we can learn for future conservation efforts.Reference: “Radiocarbon dates from Curaçao’s oldest Archaic site extend earliest island settlement to ca. 5700 cal BP” by Claudia T. Kraan, Michiel Kappers, Kelsey M. Lowe, S. Yoshi Maezumi and Christina M. Giovas, 12 March 2024, The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology.DOI: 10.1080/15564894.2024.2321575Along with SFU and the NAAM Foundation, the team includes partners from Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, University of Queensland, and InTerris Registries.

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